Six Indonesian Airports Remain Closed as Anak Krakatau Ash Disrupts Flights

About 170,000 passengers remained stranded in Indonesia after ash from the erupting Mount Anak Krakatau disrupted flights across the country. Six airports were still closed in the latest update from the Transportation Ministry on Monday, September 7, 2026.

The eruption had affected eight airports, delaying or canceling 1,558 flights. More than 900 of those disruptions involved flights to and from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesia’s main gateway outside Jakarta. The airport lies more than 150 kilometers from Anak Krakatau.

The six airports still closed were Soekarno-Hatta, Halim Perdanakusuma, Radin Inten II in Lampung, Husein Sastranegara in Bandung, Budiarto in Curug and Pondok Cabe. Their closures were extended until 8:59 a.m. local time, or 09:00 WIB, according to Lukman F. Laisa, the Transportation Ministry’s director general of civil aviation. Taufik Kiemas Airport and Atung Bungsu Airport had also been affected earlier.

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency said ash had spread toward Lampung and parts of Jakarta. Drawing on information from Indonesia’s volcanology agency, the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center and Himawari-9 satellite imagery, BMKG identified two ash-dispersion clusters as of 4 a.m. on September 6. One moved toward Jakarta, Banten and West Java at altitudes reaching 20,000 feet. Ash can damage jet engines and reduce visibility, prompting authorities to suspend operations.

Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said airports including those in Semarang and Surabaya had been prepared as alternative landing locations. The government urged airlines and passengers to adjust their travel arrangements as closures and disruptions continued.