Indonesia suspends flights at eight airports after Anak Krakatoa eruption

Volcanic ash from an eruption of Anak Krakatoa forced Indonesia to suspend operations at its main international gateway, Soekarno‑Hatta Airport, and seven other airports on Sunday. The volcano, located about 150 km north of Jakarta, spewed a lava fountain on Saturday and continued erupting into Sunday, prompting aviation authorities to halt flights from the early hours.

Impact on travellers and airlines

The temporary closure affected more than 22,000 passengers and 209 scheduled flights, including key international routes to Singapore, Doha, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur. Domestic services to and from Bali also saw cancellations, with at least 16 flights called off. Passengers such as 44‑year‑old Henny Yensan were left scrambling for alternatives, while a Danone executive on a business trip to Lombok said he had to remain on the island after his Citilink connection was cancelled.

"No one flew into a rage, because after all, this is due to natural disaster," said the businesswoman, who rescheduled her flight for Tuesday.

Authorities' response and next steps

The Ministry of Transportation confirmed the suspension was extended twice, finally lifting the ban at 5:30 pm after a brief pause to assess the ash cloud’s density. The disaster mitigation agency BNPB announced a weather‑modification operation, including cloud‑seeding, to encourage rain that could clear the ash from the airspace. Meanwhile, the volcanology agency warned that the volcano’s activity could continue, and ships navigating the strait between Java and Sumatra were instructed to stay clear of a three‑kilometre exclusion zone.

Geology agency chief Lana Saria reminded the public that while the current eruptions are unlikely to trigger a tsunami, the volcano’s history includes deadly events, such as the 2018 collapse that killed 429 people. Monitoring will continue, and airlines are advised to keep alternative airports like those in Bandung, Semarang and Surabaya on standby.

What lies ahead

With ash still present in the region’s airspace, airlines are expected to maintain flexible schedules and possibly reroute flights through other hubs. The government’s cloud‑seeding effort may reduce airborne particles, but experts caution that future eruptions could again disrupt travel, underscoring the need for robust contingency planning across Indonesia’s aviation sector.