Jakarta airport and other hubs reopen after volcanic ash crisis

Indonesia’s main airport reopened early Tuesday after days of disruption caused by volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau, easing an air-travel crisis that stranded more than 340,000 passengers.

The Transport Ministry said Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and four other airports near the capital or elsewhere on Java had resumed operations. Halim Perdanakusuma airport, which handles both civilian and military flights, and Hussein Sastranegara airport in Bandung were among those listed as reopened. A smaller airport in southern Sumatra had resumed operations on Monday.

Eight airports had halted operations over the weekend after ash was detected in their airspace. The closures disrupted nearly 3,000 flights. Soekarno-Hatta said that more than 240 domestic and international flights were canceled or delayed on Monday morning, affecting nearly 30,000 passengers.

Airlines now face the difficult task of moving stranded passengers to their destinations. Singapore Airlines canceled 18 flights on Monday, while another Jakarta departure was canceled early Tuesday. Six flights scheduled for Tuesday morning were retimed for the afternoon.

Mount Anak Krakatau, about 150 kilometers from Jakarta, erupted on Saturday, sending lava and volcanic ash into the air. Two of the eight airports that initially closed were still not operating. The ministry had prepared six alternative airports for aircraft originally scheduled to land in Jakarta.

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following the current volcanic eruption activity of Mount Anak Krakatau, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has resumed flight operations