JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities have kept seven airports closed, including two serving the capital Jakarta, after ash from Mount Anak Krakatau’s eruption disrupted roughly 2,300 flights and affected more than 270,000 travelers.
The closures continued Monday even as the eruption showed signs of easing. AirNav Indonesia said tests still found volcanic ash in the airspace around Jakarta and several other cities, making flight operations unsafe.
Jakarta’s main gateway, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, was ordered to remain shut until 6 p.m. local time, alongside six other airports. Atung Bungsu Airport in South Sumatra reopened Monday morning after conditions improved.
The disruption began after Anak Krakatau, the volcanic island in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, erupted late Friday and continued erupting for about 25 hours. The Geological Agency said the prolonged activity produced lava fountains and an explosion reportedly heard as far as 700 kilometers, or about 435 miles, away.
Ash from the volcano blanketed Jakarta and nearby regions, forcing airport closures, school disruptions and pauses in some fishing activity.
The event is a reminder of the risks facing Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where volcanic activity, earthquakes and tsunamis are recurring threats.
Major airports remain closed
The airport closures have affected some of Indonesia’s most important air links.
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, west of Jakarta, is the country’s largest and busiest airport. It serves as a major hub for domestic travel and international flights connecting Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Australia and other parts of the world.
Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, Jakarta’s secondary airport, also remained closed. Other airports affected included Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung, West Java, and Radin Inten Airport in Lampung province on the southern tip of Sumatra.
Indonesia’s Transport Ministry said the closures had disrupted around 2,300 flights and affected more than 270,000 passengers.
At Soekarno-Hatta alone, hundreds of travelers were stranded as airlines canceled, delayed or diverted flights.
Airport operators and airlines have told passengers to check flight status before traveling to terminals, as reopening decisions depend on ash conditions rather than a fixed timetable.
Volcanic ash creates a serious aviation hazard even when a volcano is far from an airport.
Fine ash particles can enter jet engines, melt at high temperatures and damage turbine blades. Ash can also reduce visibility, interfere with navigation systems, abrade windshields and contaminate airport runways. For those reasons, aviation authorities typically take a precautionary approach when ash is present in or near flight paths.
The continued closures reflect that risk.
AirNav Indonesia said its monitoring found ash in the airspace around Jakarta and other locations, making it unsafe to resume normal operations immediately.
Eruption eases, but ash danger continues
The 25-hour eruptive episode has ended, according to Indonesia’s Geological Agency. But the end of visible eruption activity does not mean the immediate danger has passed.
Volcanic ash can remain suspended in the atmosphere for hours or days, depending on wind conditions, rainfall and the height of the ash plume. It can travel long distances and shift direction quickly.
That means airports may remain closed even after lava fountains or explosions subside.
Authorities have emphasized that flight safety depends on real-time monitoring rather than visual impressions from the ground. A clear sky at one location does not guarantee safe conditions at cruising altitude or along a flight route.
The latest Anak Krakatau eruption occurred Sunday night at 8:23 p.m., according to the volcano monitoring agency’s website cited by Reuters.
Officials have not reported a major tsunami from the latest activity. But Anak Krakatau carries particular historical significance because of its connection to one of the deadliest volcanic events in recorded history.
The original Krakatau volcano exploded in 1883 in an eruption so powerful that it produced massive tsunamis, killed tens of thousands of people and affected global weather patterns.
Anak Krakatau, meaning “Child of Krakatau,” emerged from the sea decades later within the remains of the original volcanic complex. It remains active and has produced repeated eruptions.
In 2018, a collapse of part of Anak Krakatau’s flank triggered a tsunami that killed more than 400 people along the coasts of Java and Sumatra. That disaster remains a reference point whenever the volcano shows heightened activity.
The current episode has focused primarily on ash and aviation disruption, but authorities continue to monitor the volcano closely because its hazards can change quickly.
Schools and fishing disrupted
The volcanic disruption has extended beyond air travel.
Authorities shifted some schools to remote learning as ash affected Jakarta and surrounding areas. Fishing activity was also halted in some places because of the eruption and related safety concerns.
Ashfall can create public-health issues, especially for people with asthma, respiratory conditions or eye irritation. Fine volcanic particles can contaminate water supplies, damage crops, affect machinery and make roads slippery.
Local governments typically advise residents to limit outdoor exposure, use masks or protective coverings when ash is present and clear ash from roofs where accumulation becomes heavy.
The scale of ashfall from the latest eruption has not yet been fully detailed by authorities. But the impact on the country’s aviation network suggests the plume was extensive enough to affect large areas across western Java, Jakarta and parts of Sumatra.
Indonesia’s disaster-response agencies will likely continue assessing the consequences for communities near the volcano, transportation networks, schools and businesses.
Why volcanic ash closes airports
Volcanic ash is not like ordinary smoke or dust.
It is made of tiny particles of rock, glass and minerals produced when magma and gases erupt explosively. Those particles can be extremely abrasive and can remain airborne across wide distances.
For aircraft engines, ash poses one of the most serious weather-related risks.
Jet engines operate at extremely high temperatures. Inside the engine, ash particles can melt and then resolidify on turbine components, which can impede airflow or cause engine failure.
Ash can also:
- Damage cockpit windshields, reducing pilot visibility.
- Block or contaminate sensors that measure airspeed and altitude.
- Corrode aircraft parts.
- Reduce runway friction.
- Damage airport equipment.
- Affect ground crews and passengers.
Aviation authorities around the world use specialized volcanic ash advisory centers, satellite imagery, weather models and ground-based monitoring to track plumes.
Airlines may divert around ash clouds, delay flights or cancel operations when safe routes are unavailable. In a dense aviation market such as Jakarta, a large ash plume can quickly cause cascading delays across the region.
The decision to close an airport can be economically costly. But the alternative, allowing aircraft to operate in potentially dangerous ash conditions, carries far greater risks.
Indonesia’s Ring of Fire exposure
Indonesia has more active volcanoes than any other country.
The country straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe-shaped zone of violent seismic and volcanic eruptions that encircles the Pacific Ocean. Indonesia lies where several tectonic plates meet, creating conditions that produce frequent earthquakes and eruptions.
Reuters reported that Indonesia has more than 100 active volcanoes.
The country’s geography makes disaster preparedness especially complex.
Indonesia consists of more than 17,000 islands, many of them located near active volcanic systems. Large populations live close to volcanoes because volcanic soil can be fertile for farming and because cities, towns and transport networks developed around historical settlement patterns.
That creates a recurring challenge for authorities: balancing normal economic activity with the need to prepare for sudden eruptions, ashfall, landslides, lava flows and tsunamis.
Anak Krakatau sits in the Sunda Strait, a busy maritime corridor between Java and Sumatra. The area is vital not just for local fishing and tourism, but also for shipping routes between the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The latest eruption has not been reported to disrupt major international shipping through the strait. But volcano activity in the region is always monitored closely because of the potential for changes in maritime and aviation safety conditions.
Travel impact and passenger advice
Travelers affected by the closures face an uncertain and potentially prolonged disruption.
Flights may be canceled, delayed, diverted to other Indonesian airports or rescheduled for later in the week. Airlines will likely prioritize aircraft positioning, stranded passengers and international routes once airports reopen.
Don’t believe an airport reopening will automatically mean schedules will return to normal. Airlines will likely require time to redeploy their workers and planes, clear backlogs and check equipment.
Travelers scheduled to fly from or through Indonesia should:
- Check their airline’s official website or app before leaving for the airport.
- Monitor notices from airport operators and Indonesian transportation authorities.
- Avoid relying on third-party flight-tracking sites as the only source of information.
- Contact airlines directly regarding rebooking, refunds, hotel accommodation or onward connections.
- Keep receipts for eligible expenses if travel insurance or airline compensation policies may apply.
- Follow local health advice if ashfall is present in their area.
Many airlines have flexible rebooking policies during natural disasters, but coverage varies by carrier and ticket type.
Travel insurance policies may also differ in whether they cover volcanic disruptions, accommodation costs or missed connections. Travelers should review their policy terms rather than assume reimbursement.
Economic impact
The immediate economic effect is concentrated in aviation, tourism, hospitality, airport services and logistics.
Jakarta is Indonesia’s commercial and political center. Soekarno-Hatta’s closure affects business travel, cargo shipments, tourism and regional connections.
The disruption could also affect perishable cargo, including seafood, flowers, pharmaceuticals and high-value manufacturing components that depend on air freight.
For Indonesia’s airlines, extended closures create added costs from canceled flights, stranded aircraft, crew accommodation and passenger rebooking. The longer airports remain shut, the more complicated the recovery becomes.
Tourism could also be affected, particularly for travelers with itineraries involving Jakarta, Bandung, Lampung, Bali connections or broader Southeast Asian routes.
However, the economic damage from a short-term closure is likely to be manageable if airports reopen within days. The larger risk would come from a prolonged period of ash activity, renewed eruptions or a shift in winds that spreads ash across additional major airports.
What happens next
Authorities will continue monitoring Anak Krakatau’s activity, ash plume direction and air quality.
Airport reopening decisions will depend on the results of airspace tests, weather forecasts and guidance from aviation authorities. Indonesia’s transport ministry has said Jakarta’s main airport and six others are scheduled to remain closed until at least 6 p.m. local time, though that timing could change if ash conditions improve or worsen.
One airport in South Sumatra has already reopened, signaling that conditions are not uniform across the region.
The immediate priorities are clear:
- Protect aviation safety.
- Monitor volcanic activity and potential secondary hazards.
- Assist stranded travelers.
- Support communities affected by ashfall.
- Restore airport operations only when airspace is safe.
The latest Anak Krakatau eruption has eased, but its consequences are still moving through Indonesia’s transport system.
More than 270,000 travelers have already been affected, and thousands of flights must be rescheduled, rerouted or canceled.
For Indonesia, the event is another reminder that life on the Ring of Fire requires constant readiness, not only from scientists and emergency agencies, but from airlines, schools, businesses and the millions of people whose routines can be disrupted by a volcano that erupts hundreds of kilometers away.