Jakarta. The government has denied reports of Indonesia suspending outbound flights amid the Iran war. 

Earlier that day, state news outlet Antara had misquoted State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi as saying that the international travel had been put “on hold”. Prasetyo’s response, however, was referring to a question on Jakarta’s participation in the Board of Peace and the dispatch of Gaza humanitarian troops. As the reports fueled panic, the Transportation Ministry announced that Indonesia remained open for outbound flights.

“The news that all international flights have been suspended because of the current dynamics in the Middle East is not true. We will keep a close eye on the flight operations,” the ministry’s aviation director-general Lukman F Laisa said on Tuesday night. 

There are two Qatar Airways aircraft “stranded” in Indonesia as of March 17 (10.30 a.m.). One aircraft is in the country’s main airport, the Soekarno-Hatta. The other is in the Bali Airport, according to the government. Lukman went on to say that airlines such as Emirates and Etihad Airways have resumed “limited flight schedules”. The Emirati airspace had recently undergone a brief shutdown after a drone hit a fuel depot at Dubai International Airport.

“Airlines serving direct flights to Saudi Arabia — such as Saudi Arabian Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, and Flyadeal — are operating as normal and remain unaffected by the conflict,” Lukman said.

“Indirect flights via third countries by various international carriers have resumed normal operations.”

The war all started with US-Israeli strikes on Tehran on Feb. 28. The tension has escalated after Tehran launched retaliatory strikes, including on Gulf nations that host US bases. The fighting has rattled tourism as it triggered airspace closures in the region and left many travelers stranded.