Transport Ministry Prepares Three Alternative Airports Amid Mount Anak Krakatau Ash

Indonesia’s Transport Ministry has prepared three airports to handle diverted flights after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau forced six airports to close temporarily.

The alternative airports are Kertajati in Majalengka, West Java, Ahmad Yani in Semarang, Central Java, and Juanda in Surabaya, East Java. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said the facilities would help passengers continue their journeys as scheduled.

Two Garuda Indonesia flights from Jeddah and Medina had already been redirected to Kertajati. They were expected to arrive at about 2:30 p.m. local time. Dudy said paper tests at Kertajati showed that the airport had not been affected and could still operate normally.

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There are several airports in Java that we have prepared as alternatives for landings from outside Java and international flights.

But he cautioned that weather conditions remained highly changeable. Airlines should prepare for the possibility that volcanic ash could spread toward Kertajati, he said, and consider operating flights outside airports affected by the ash.

The six temporarily closed airports were Soekarno-Hatta, Halim Perdanakusuma, Radin Inten II, Budiarto, Pondok Cabe and Husein Sastranegara.

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Considering that the weather is highly dynamic, we are asking airlines to anticipate or remain alert if the volcanic ash spreads toward Kertajati.