Indonesia's main airport closure enters second day as Anak Krakatau ash disrupts flights

Aerial view of Anak Krakatau eruption. Photo: esdm.go.id

JAKARTA, Sept 7 — Indonesia extended the closure of its main international airport on Monday as ash from erupting Anak Krakatau disrupted air travel, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers.

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, near Jakarta, extended its suspension of flight operations to midnight local time from an earlier deadline of 6 p.m. and previously 8:59 a.m., airport officials said. 

Read also: Indonesia's Child of Krakatoa erupts, prompting explosive sounds heard 250 km away

The airport had 624 flights scheduled for Monday — 461 domestic, 156 international and seven cargo flights — with about 75,236 passengers expected to be affected, he said.

Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said earlier that about 263,000 passengers and 2,300 flights had been affected by the disruption since the airport was closed on Sunday.

Airlines including Garuda Indonesia have delayed or cancelled flights to and from the airport to prevent a buildup of passengers in terminals.

Passengers have been advised to check flight status with their airlines before travelling to the airport.

Read also: Indonesia's Anak Krakatau eruption disrupts 2,961 flights, 341,000 passengers

Anak Krakatau activity

Indonesia's Geological Agency said a 25-hour continuous eruption of Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait had ended, with activity returning to intermittent Strombolian eruptions.

The continuous eruption began at 11:07 p.m. on Sept. 4 and ended at 12:40 a.m. on Sept. 6, agency chief Lana Saria said.

The agency recorded three eruption earthquakes, 93 low-frequency earthquakes and 98 hybrid or multiphase earthquakes between Sept. 6 and Sept. 7, while seismic amplitude has declined since Sept. 6.

The volcano remains at Level III, or Alert, with authorities maintaining a 3-km exclusion zone around the active crater.

Authorities warned of possible further eruptions and advised residents and visitors to stay outside the exclusion zone. People in coastal areas of Banten and Lampung were also urged to ignore misinformation about tsunami risks and wear masks outdoors to protect against volcanic ash.

The article has been updated to reflect the extension of the airport closure.