Indonesia's Anak Krakatau eruption disrupts 2,961 flights, affects 341,000 passengers

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesia. Photo: InJourney Airports.

JAKARTA, Sept 7 — Indonesia extended the closure of seven airports on Monday as volcanic ash from erupting Anak Krakatau disrupted air travel across the country, affecting nearly 3,000 flights and 341,000 passengers.

The airports will remain closed until 11:59 p.m. local time on Monday as authorities continue to monitor the spread of volcanic ash, Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said.

As of Monday afternoon, 2,961 flights had been affected, including 2,339 domestic and 622 international flights, Dudy said at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.

The disruptions included cancelled, delayed and diverted flights, affecting about 341,000 passengers, he said.

The seven affected airports are Soekarno-Hatta and Budiarto in Banten, Halim Perdanakusuma in Jakarta, Pondok Cabe in Banten, Radin Inten II and Muhammad Taufiq Kiemas in Lampung, and Husein Sastranegara in West Java.

Authorities take cautious approach

Some airports had recorded negative results in paper tests for volcanic ash, but the government would not use those results alone to determine when operations could resume, Dudy added.

Authorities will wait for an advisory from the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC), the official reference for monitoring the distribution of volcanic ash, before deciding whether to reopen the affected airports.

The extended closure would also give airport operators and airlines time to prepare for a safe resumption of operations, Dudy said.

Airports need to inspect and clean airside facilities, including runways, taxiways and aprons, while airlines must inspect and clean aircraft that may have been exposed to volcanic ash before returning them to service.

Authorities have taken a conservative approach because wind direction around the volcano can change rapidly, Dudy said, adding that officials want to ensure the ash cloud has moved away from airports in the area.

The Transport Ministry and other agencies will continue to monitor the ash distribution and VAAC Darwin advisories as they assess when flight operations can resume.

Safety would remain the government's main consideration, Dudy said.