Anak Krakatoa eruption shuts Indonesian airports and strands 150,000 passengers

Anak Krakatoa’s eruption brought Indonesia’s air traffic to a standstill on Sunday, with authorities closing eight airports and leaving more than 150,000 passengers stranded. The closures affected 467 flights, including 58 international and 409 domestic services, according to the Transport Ministry.

The suspension at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport began at 1:30 a.m. local time and was extended several times. By Sunday night, authorities had prolonged the closure until 11:59 p.m. after volcanic ash was detected spreading through the airport area.

The volcano began erupting on Saturday, sending out lava and explosions that could be heard as far as 700 kilometers away, Indonesia’s volcanology agency said. Two further eruptions occurred on Sunday at the volcano, which lies in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra.

Ash spread through the airspace of several airports and reached Bandar Lampung at the southern end of Sumatra. It covered parked vehicles and the edges of roads. The ash is hazardous to aircraft engines, prompting the airport closures.

Jakarta’s schools will remain closed on Monday, with classes moving online. The capital’s administration did not say how long the measure would remain in place. Anak Krakatoa has shown intermittent activity since it emerged in the caldera created by the 1883 Krakatoa eruption, one of the deadliest and most destructive eruptions in history, which is estimated to have killed 35,000 people.

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These closures left 150,000 passengers stranded and affected 467 flights, of which 58 were international and 409 domestic.