About 170,000 passengers were stranded in Indonesia after Mount Anak Krakatau erupted again on Sunday, sending volcanic ash into surrounding airspace and disrupting air travel. Authorities suspended more than 1,500 flight operations at the country’s main international airport and seven other airports. Schools across Jakarta were also ordered to shift classes online from Monday amid the heightened volcanic activity.
The eruption of Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra, produced a plume of volcanic ash that spread into surrounding airspace, disrupting hundreds of flights and prompting authorities to extend airport closures into Monday.
Indonesia’s airport authority said the suspension at the affected airports had been extended until 8.59 am local time on Monday because of "increased eruptive activity at Mount Anak Krakatau".
Indonesia’s transport ministry said 1,558 flights had been delayed across the eight affected airports, affecting around 170,000 passengers. More than 900 of the affected flights were to or from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the country’s principal international aviation hub.
Operations were also suspended at seven other airports, including Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung and Radin Inten II International Airport near Bandar Lampung on Sumatra.
Authorities said several airports, including those serving Semarang and Surabaya, had been prepared to handle diverted flights and provide alternative landing options.
The disruption left thousands of travellers scrambling to rearrange their journeys, with airlines forced to cancel or reschedule flights.
One passenger, Henny Yensan, 44, told news agency AFP that she had planned to return to her hometown with her mother but had to reschedule her flight for Tuesday.
"Everybody was disappointed," she said, adding that passengers understood the cancellations were caused by a natural disaster.
The impact of the eruption extended beyond air travel.
Authorities in Jakarta said schools across the capital would conduct classes online from Monday because of the volcanic activity. The city government did not immediately specify how long the remote-learning arrangement would remain in effect.
Volcanic ash was also reported in Bandar Lampung, where a layer of ash covered parked vehicles and roadsides.
The ash poses a particular risk to aviation because volcanic particles can damage aircraft engines, reduce visibility and contaminate critical flight systems. Even when a volcano is located far from an airport, ash clouds can force airlines to reroute or ground aircraft if they enter flight paths.
Indonesia’s volcanology agency said Anak Krakatau first erupted on Saturday, producing a fountain of lava and powerful booming sounds that could be heard hundreds of kilometres away. Two additional eruptions were recorded on Sunday, according to the agency.
The eruptions sent ash into the airspace around Soekarno-Hatta airport, prompting authorities to suspend operations as a precaution.
Officials have also warned ships operating in the Sunda Strait to remain vigilant because volcanic activity could disrupt navigation.
Local port authorities have imposed a 3-km exclusion zone around Anak Krakatau and prohibited vessels from approaching the volcano.
Despite the heightened volcanic activity, officials said the latest eruptions were not expected to trigger a tsunami.
Geology agency head Lana Saria warned people against entering the exclusion zone, saying material ejected by the volcano could pose a serious danger to anyone nearby.
The warning is particularly significant because Anak Krakatau has previously been linked to a deadly tsunami.
In December 2018, part of the volcano's flank collapsed into the sea, triggering a tsunami that struck coastal areas of Java and Sumatra. The disaster killed 429 people and displaced thousands.
Anak Krakatau, meaning "Child of Krakatau", emerged from the sea in the early 20th century inside the caldera created by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Krakatau in 1883.
That eruption was among the most destructive volcanic events in recorded history and is estimated to have killed around 35,000 people, primarily through the tsunamis it generated.
The latest eruption comes as no surprise in a country that is among the world's most volcanically active nations.
Indonesia lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone where several tectonic plates meet, producing frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The country's location means volcanic ash disruptions are a recurring challenge for its aviation sector. Authorities regularly monitor active volcanoes and can impose temporary flight restrictions when ash threatens aircraft routes.
For now, the immediate focus remains on monitoring Anak Krakatau's activity, assessing ash movement and gradually restoring flights once aviation authorities determine that the affected airspace is safe.
Source: India Today
