Volcanic eruption in Indonesia strands more than 340,000 passengers
In Indonesia, more than 340,000 passengers are unable to fly due to the eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano, while nearly 3,000 flights have been disrupted. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta and the smaller Halim Perdanakusuma Airport have extended their suspension of operations due to volcanic ash near their airspace, BBC News reports.
Airports did not reopen as scheduled
Soekarno-Hatta Airport had planned to resume operations at 18:00 on Monday, but decided to extend the closure due to the presence of ash near its airspace. According to the airport's statement, flights are expected to resume at 23:59 on Monday. Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, which serves civilian and military flights, will also remain closed until that time.
Queues formed in Soekarno-Hatta's departure halls as passengers sought refunds and tried to find out when they would be able to fly. One passenger, who was due to return to Jakarta from the city of Malang in East Java on Sunday, spoke of repeated flight postponements. She ultimately spent the night on two intercity trains and arrived in Jakarta at 03:00 on Monday.
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Ash rose to an altitude of up to 15 kilometres
Anak Krakatau, located about 150 kilometres from Jakarta in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, began erupting late on Friday. The volcano spewed lava and ash that reached Jakarta and Lampung province, while seismic activity continued throughout the weekend.
Indonesia's meteorological agency, BMKG, said ash rose to 6,000 metres on the Java side, and to 15,000 metres on the Sumatra side and in parts of Banten province. The latest eruption, according to the agency, was recorded at 20:23 on Sunday.
Indonesia's geological agency warned that the likelihood of further eruptions remains high. Authorities banned approaching the active crater or carrying out activities within a three-kilometre radius, and prohibited vessels in the Sunda Strait from entering the area. At the same time, no tsunami warning was issued in connection with the volcano's current activity.
