Indonesia air travel resumes after two-day disruption from volcanic ash

Air travel across Indonesia’s capital region began returning to normal early Tuesday following a two-day shutdown triggered by volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau, which disrupted nearly 3,000 flights.Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, along with Husein Sastranegara Airport in West Java’s Bandung and two smaller airports in Banten province, reopened shortly after midnight, Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said.Three other airports, including Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung at the southern end of Sumatra, remained closed until 10 a.m. despite improving conditions. Atung Bungsu Airport in Pagar Alam, South Sumatra, resumed normal operations on Monday morning.“We are taking a cautious approach because wind direction can change rapidly,” Purwagandhi said in a statement. “We want to make sure volcanic ash has moved away from airports around Anak Krakatau.”While tests at several airports found no traces of volcanic ash, the prolonged closures would provide additional time to inspect and clean runways, taxiways, aircraft and other equipment that may have been exposed to the ash, Purwagandhi said.The continuous eruption at Anak Krakatau, marked by lava fountains and loud explosions, subsided on Sunday, but the volcanic island remained active on Tuesday morning. Eruptions were recorded at 5:08 a.m. and 5:34 a.m., although the height of the ash column could not be determined.A massive two-day air travel disruption affected approximately 341,000 passengers as airport closures on Sunday and Monday grounded nearly 2,961 flights—including 622 international routes—according to reports by the Associated Press.The government also allowed schools in areas affected by volcanic ash to temporarily switch to online classes to limit students’ exposure to the ash.Anak Krakatau is a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait, located between Indonesia’s main islands of Java and Sumatra. Its name means “child of Krakatau” and refers to the volcano that emerged from the remnants of the infamous Krakatau, whose massive 1883 eruption triggered a period of global cooling.In 2018, an eruption of Anak Krakatau generated a tsunami that killed at least 430 people across Sumatra and Java. Researchers believe the volcanic activity triggered an underwater landslide, causing part of the volcano’s southwestern slope to collapse and displace a large volume of seawater.The volcano has remained at Indonesia’s second-highest alert level since July, with authorities urging residents, tourists and fishermen to stay at least 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) away from the active crater.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.