Eight Indonesian Airports Remain Closed as Anak Krakatau Ash Disrupts Flights

Eight Indonesian airports, including two serving Jakarta, remained closed early Monday as volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau disrupted air travel and spread across the capital and nearby areas.

The volcano, located between Java and Sumatra, began erupting late Friday. Ash from the eruptions reached heights of up to 20,000 feet on the Java side and 50,000 feet on the Sumatra side, as well as parts of Banten province. The transport ministry said flight cancellations had affected 170,000 people.

Jakarta’s main airport was scheduled to remain closed until 6 p.m. local time on Monday. The seven other affected airports, including facilities serving the nearby provinces of Lampung and West Java, were to stay closed until at least 8:59 a.m. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said the authorities could not determine when the disruption would end because weather conditions remained dynamic.

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We cannot ascertain when this will end due to the dynamic weather

Indonesia’s volcano monitoring agency recorded another Anak Krakatau eruption at 8:23 p.m. Sunday and warned that the likelihood of further eruptions remained high. The disaster agency urged people to wear masks while outdoors to avoid inhaling ash. Schools in Jakarta and Lampung planned to switch to remote learning because of health concerns.

Anak Krakatau, meaning “child of Krakatau,” emerged about a century ago in the area once occupied by Krakatau, also known as Krakatoa. The older volcano destroyed itself in a series of massive eruptions in 1883, triggering tsunamis that killed more than 36,000 people. Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently.

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The probability of further eruptions in the coming periods remains high.