Kabut asap akibat kebakaran hutan dan lahan di Papua Selatan yang menyelimuti Mimika sejak akhir September 2026 berdampak langsung pada jalur pendakian Carstensz Pyramid. Kepolisian Resor Mimika menerbitkan surat himbauan bertanggal Oktober 2026 yang meminta seluruh operator dan trekking organizer menunda sementara penerbangan helikopter menuju jalur pendakian Carstensz Pyramid, sekaligus menjadwal ulang seluruh agenda pendakian wisatawan sampai kondisi cuaca dinyatakan benar-benar aman oleh otoritas berwenang.

Dasar surat itu adalah gangguan kabut asap yang membatasi jarak pandang penerbangan dan sudah berlangsung kurang lebih 10 hari tanpa bisa diprakirakan kapan berakhir. Kepolisian menilai kondisi tersebut sangat berisiko dan membahayakan keselamatan transportasi udara, baik bagi pendaki maupun kru maskapai, sehingga penundaan dinilai perlu untuk mencegah insiden penerbangan pada rute Bandara Mozes Kilangin Timika menuju Yellow Valley (Lembah Kuning) maupun rute sebaliknya. Surat tersebut ditandatangani Kapolres Mimika AKBP Alfredo Agustinus Rumbiak.

Imbauan serupa datang dari pengelola kawasan. Balai Taman Nasional Lorentz meminta pendaki dan pelaku wisata memantau perkembangan cuaca sebelum merencanakan perjalanan, mempertimbangkan kondisi aktual di lapangan sebelum mendaki, dan tidak memaksakan perjalanan apabila jarak pandang atau kondisi lingkungan tidak mendukung keselamatan. Lorentz juga mengingatkan kewajiban mematuhi ketentuan penutupan sementara dan pembukaan secara terbatas wisata pendakian gunung sesuai Surat Edaran Direktur Jenderal KSDAE Nomor SE.4/KSDAE/SKSDAE/KSA.02.02/B/08/2026, serta Standar Operasional Prosedur pendakian di kawasan tersebut.

Menurut Lorentz, massa udara lembap dari Laut Arafura dan Papua Selatan memicu pembentukan awan tebal di Pegunungan Tengah, sementara angin dari arah barat laut sampai utara membawa kabut asap ke wilayah Papua Tengah. Topografi Pegunungan Sudirman dan Pegunungan Jayawijaya memengaruhi pola pergerakan serta konsentrasi asap di dataran rendah Mimika. BMKG Stasiun Meteorologi Mozes Kilangin mencatat asap terbawa angin dari timur sampai tenggara, dengan titik panas di Merauke hingga Asmat, dan pada pagi hari jarak pandang di Timika sempat turun di bawah dua kilometer.

Data titik panas BMKG yang diperbarui pada 10 Oktober 2026 menempatkan Kabupaten Merauke pada urutan pertama nasional dengan 2.538 titik, sedangkan Provinsi Papua Selatan mencatat 2.758 titik dan menjadi yang tertinggi di antara provinsi. Posisi berikutnya adalah Kalimantan Tengah 1.970 titik, Sumatera Selatan 1.887 titik, Papua Barat 993 titik, dan Maluku Utara 768 titik. BMKG mengingatkan titik panas tidak selalu berarti kebakaran sudah terjadi dan tetap memerlukan verifikasi lapangan.

Perkembangan terbaru menunjukkan gangguan belum mereda. BNPB melaporkan hingga 11 Oktober 2026 karhutla di Kabupaten Merauke melanda 10 distrik dengan luas lahan terbakar sekitar 63 hektare pada sembilan lokasi yang sudah dirinci, sementara api di empat lokasi sudah padam dan masuk tahap pendinginan. Penyebab kebakaran masih diselidiki dan seluruh angka bersifat sementara. Dampak asap juga meluas ke bandara lain: UPBU Rendani Manokwari mencatat seluruh penerbangan dibatalkan pada Sabtu, 10 Oktober 2026, dan pada Senin, 12 Oktober 2026 rute dari dan ke Sorong masih dibatalkan.

Di Timika, gangguan penerbangan berlangsung berulang. Pada 30 September 2026, dua pesawat komersial, Garuda Indonesia dan Lion Air, yang dijadwalkan mendarat di Bandara Mozes Kilangin dialihkan ke Bandara Sentani di Jayapura dan Bandara Frans Kaisiepo di Biak. Pada 28 September, satu penerbangan Garuda baru bisa mendarat setelah 15 kali holding selama sekitar dua jam. Bupati Mimika Johannes Rettob menyatakan sejumlah maskapai tidak dapat mendarat, kasus infeksi saluran pernapasan akut meningkat terutama pada anak-anak, dan meminta BNPB turun tangan menangani sumber kebakaran di Papua Selatan.

Dari sisi penyelenggara, operator Summit Carstensz menyatakan musim pendakian September sampai Oktober 2026 dibatalkan dan dijadwalkan ulang ke musim berikutnya pada Februari dan Maret. Helikopter tidak dapat terbang ke base camp selama sekitar 15 hari dan sejumlah kelompok pendaki tertahan berhari-hari di Timika. Akses helikopter dari Timika ke Lembah Kuning memang menjadi jalur utama pendakian Carstensz dalam beberapa tahun terakhir. Karena itu, kalender tidak lagi menjadi patokan: status jalur ditentukan kondisi cuaca dan keputusan otoritas, sehingga jadwal penerbangan lanjutan sebaiknya disusun fleksibel dan informasi resmi dari BMKG, pengelola taman nasional, serta operator dipantau sebelum berangkat.

Haze from forest and land fires in South Papua that has blanketed Mimika since late September 2026 has hit the Carstensz Pyramid climbing route directly. The Mimika Resort Police issued an advisory letter dated October 2026 asking all operators and trekking organizers to temporarily suspend helicopter flights to the Carstensz Pyramid climbing route and to reschedule every climber's itinerary until weather conditions are declared genuinely safe by the competent authority.

The letter cites haze that has limited flight visibility for roughly 10 days with no forecast of when it will end. The police consider the situation highly risky for air transport safety, both for climbers and airline crews, so the suspension is seen as necessary to prevent a flight incident on the route between Mozes Kilangin Airport in Timika and Yellow Valley, and on the return leg. The letter was signed by Mimika Police Chief AKBP Alfredo Agustinus Rumbiak.

A similar advisory came from the park authority. The Lorentz National Park Office asked climbers and tourism operators to monitor weather developments before planning a trip, to weigh actual field conditions before climbing, and not to force a trip when visibility or environmental conditions do not support safety. Lorentz also reminded the public of the obligation to comply with the temporary closure and limited reopening of mountain climbing tourism under Directorate General of KSDAE Circular Number SE.4/KSDAE/SKSDAE/KSA.02.02/B/08/2026, as well as the climbing standard operating procedures in the park.

According to Lorentz, moist air masses from the Arafura Sea and South Papua trigger thick cloud formation over the Central Highlands, while winds from the northwest to north carry the haze toward Central Papua. The topography of the Sudirman and Jayawijaya ranges shapes how the smoke moves and concentrates over the Mimika lowlands. The BMKG Mozes Kilangin Meteorological Station recorded smoke being carried by winds from the east to southeast, with hotspots from Merauke to Asmat, and morning visibility in Timika dipping below two kilometres.

BMKG hotspot data updated on October 10, 2026 placed Merauke Regency first nationally with 2,538 hotspots, while South Papua Province recorded 2,758 hotspots, the highest among provinces. Next came Central Kalimantan with 1,970 hotspots, South Sumatra with 1,887, West Papua with 993, and North Maluku with 768. BMKG notes that a hotspot does not always mean a fire has occurred and still requires field verification.

The latest developments show the disruption has not eased. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that as of October 11, 2026 the fires in Merauke Regency affected 10 districts, with about 63 hectares burned across nine locations that have been detailed, while fires at four locations have been extinguished and are now in the cooling stage. The cause of the fires is still under investigation and all figures remain provisional. The smoke has also spread to other airports: Rendani Manokwari Airport cancelled all flights on Saturday, October 10, 2026, and on Monday, October 12, 2026 routes to and from Sorong were still cancelled.

In Timika, flight disruption has been recurring. On September 30, 2026, two commercial aircraft, Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air, scheduled to land at Mozes Kilangin Airport were diverted to Sentani Airport in Jayapura and Frans Kaisiepo Airport in Biak. On September 28, one Garuda flight could only land after 15 holding patterns lasting about two hours. Mimika Regent Johannes Rettob said several airlines were unable to land, acute respiratory infection cases rose especially among children, and asked BNPB to step in and address the source of the fires in South Papua.

On the organizer side, operator Summit Carstensz announced that the September to October 2026 climbing season is cancelled and rescheduled to the next season in February and March. Helicopters could not fly to base camp for about 15 days and several climbing groups were stranded in Timika for days. Helicopter access from Timika to Yellow Valley has been the main route to Carstensz in recent years. The calendar therefore no longer serves as a benchmark: the status of the route is set by weather conditions and authority decisions, so onward flight bookings are best kept flexible and official information from BMKG, the national park office, and operators should be checked before departure.