Anak Krakatau Eruption Disrupts Flights for a Second Day

Volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau continued to disrupt flights for a second day on Sept. 7, with seven Indonesian airports remaining closed, including two serving Jakarta.

The volcano, about 850km south-south-east of Singapore and between Java and Sumatra, began erupting late on Sept. 4. Ash spread more than 150km and blanketed Jakarta and nearby areas. Indonesia’s Transport Ministry said delays, diversions or cancellations had affected more than 270,000 people across 2,300 flights.

The closures followed advice from Indonesia’s meteorological agency, BMKG. Authorities were testing for volcanic ash every 30 minutes while monitoring conditions. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said changing winds at different altitudes were keeping ash around airports near Anak Krakatau, making it difficult to predict when they could safely reopen. “We cannot determine or ensure whether an airport is safe from the spread of ash,” he said.

The disruption extended to Singapore. A Changi Airport Group spokesman said 31 flights between Singapore and Jakarta scheduled for Sept. 7 had been cancelled by 7 p.m. Singapore Airlines cancelled nine flights in each direction and also cancelled its 5:25 a.m. Jakarta-Singapore service on Sept. 8. It added two Singapore-Surabaya flights, with return services planned from Surabaya, and offered rebooking on other services between Singapore and Indonesia.

Scoot cancelled five flights in each direction between Singapore and Jakarta. The airline said affected passengers could rebook flights to or from other Indonesian destinations or request full refunds.

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We cannot determine or ensure whether an airport is safe from the spread of ash.