Thousands of passengers faced travel chaos as Mount Anak Krakatoa erupted over the weekend, spewing volcanic ash and disrupting flights in Indonesia. By Sunday evening, ash clouds had affected 467 flight movements at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport alone, impacting approximately 150,000 passengers.
The airport was temporarily closed until at least 1 a.m. due to the volcanic ash. Flights between Australia and Jakarta, predominantly using Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne airports, saw at least a dozen flights affected on Sunday night. International routes to and from Doha, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur were also impacted. Additionally, at least 16 domestic flights to Bali were cancelled.
The Smartraveller website issued a warning, advising travelers to monitor their flight status and check with airlines or travel providers before departing. It also cautioned that volcanic ash could affect air quality, urging individuals with respiratory conditions to take extra precautions.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation stated it was closely monitoring the eruption's impact and coordinating with airlines, airport operators, air navigation services, and the meteorology agency. "Safety remains our top priority in every operational decision," said Lukman F. Laisa, Ministry of Transportation director general of civil aviation.
Authorities warned that flight schedules could experience cascading disruptions, affecting aircraft rotations, fleet availability, and terminal capacity as airlines work to resume normal operations. Mount Anak Krakatau, meaning "Child of Krakatoa," is located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra.
Ships transiting the strait have been advised to increase vigilance due to potential navigation safety disruptions from volcanic activity and are prohibited from approaching within a 3km exclusion zone.
The volcano has been intermittently active since emerging from the sea early last century in the caldera formed by the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa. Indonesia, an archipelago nation in Southeast Asia, is situated on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area characterized by frequent volcanic and seismic activity due to the convergence of continental plates.
