Anak Krakatau eruption grounds flights, halts school activities and fishing in Indonesia

Mount Anak Krakatau’s eruption disrupted air travel across Indonesia on Sunday, grounding hundreds of flights and leaving passengers uncertain about when they could continue their journeys. Five airports suspended operations, affecting 301 flights, including 58 international services, airport operator Angkasa Pura said.

Singapore Airlines cancelled flights to and from Jakarta for the rest of the day. Suhardi, a 58-year-old passenger traveling for business, arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after his domestic flight was cancelled, hoping to catch a morning connection to Samarinda on the Indonesian part of Borneo. “I thought Jakarta-to-Samarinda still available, apparently it is also cancelled,” he told Reuters.

“

I thought Jakarta-to-Samarinda still available, apparently it is also cancelled.

French passenger Eloan Tasset, 21, received a message from Batik Air saying his flight to Manado in North Sulawesi had been delayed. “If they tell me my flight is cancelled, I think I’m going to try to find a hotel in Jakarta,” he said. The airport operator said it was providing food, light refreshments and buses to hotels in coordination with airlines.

“

If they tell me my flight is cancelled, I think I’m going to try to find a hotel in Jakarta.

The volcano, roughly halfway between Java and Sumatra, has erupted since late Friday. The transport ministry said ash reached 20,000 feet over Java and 50,000 feet over Sumatra and parts of Banten province. The disaster mitigation agency planned a weather-modification operation, potentially including cloud seeding, to encourage rain. “If it rains heavily enough, the volcanic ash that has been disrupting our daily lives since yesterday and continuing today will be washed away quickly,” BNPB chief Suharyanto said.

Authorities urged residents to remain calm but vigilant, wear masks and eye protection, limit outdoor activity, cover water sources and drive carefully because ash can reduce visibility. Ferries in the Sunda Strait continued to operate, although vessels were told to stay at least 3 kilometers from the crater. Several schools cancelled activities after eye irritation was reported, and fishermen called off trips.

“

If it rains heavily enough, the volcanic ash that has been disrupting our daily lives since yesterday and continuing today will be washed away quickly.