More than 340,000 travelers faced widespread disruption across Indonesia after volcanic activity from Mount Anak Krakatau forced major aviation hubs, including Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, to suspend operations as ash plumes reached altitudes of up to 50,000 feet.
Indonesia’s aviation network reeled under heavy pressure after the volcanic eruption disrupted hundreds of flights at Jakarta’s main international gateway. The geological event sent tremors and ash through the region over the weekend, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded as airport closures extended into a second day.
Mount Anak Krakatau Triggers Massive Regional Flight Groundings
The eruption began late Friday night, with the volcano beginning a period of continuous eruption at 11:07 p.m. local time. According to a CNBC translation of a press release from Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the intense activity lasted about 25 hours before ending at 12:04 a.m. on Sunday. The resulting volcanic ash plume forced immediate airspace restrictions. Indonesia’s meteorological agency detected ash at altitudes stretching up to 20,000 feet moving east and up to 50,000 feet moving west, according to a CNBC translation. Volcanic ash was detected over Jakarta and several surrounding regions, extending as far as the Indian Ocean.
The economic and logistical impact on the capital’s aviation hubs was immediate. More than 340,000 passengers have been left stranded across Indonesia after a volcanic eruption disrupted nearly 3,000 flights and forced airports to suspend operations for a second day. At Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, which ranks as Southeast Asia’s second-busiest airport by scheduled airline seat capacity this month with 3.24 million seats according to aviation data provider OAG, authorities logged at least 202 affected flights, including 167 outright cancellations out of at least 373 flights affected as of 10:35 a.m. Sunday.
Terminal Crowds and Desperate Alternatives for Stranded Travelers
Snaking queues formed at the departure halls in Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Monday as stranded passengers sought refunds and tried to get updates on when they would be able to fly. Finna described the frenzy at the airport as flights got repeatedly rescheduled after she attempted to return from Malang in East Java on Sunday morning.
Seeking a way out of the airport gridlock, Finna eventually spent the night on two intercity trains before arriving in Jakarta at 03:00 on Monday. Other international visitors faced even longer delays. A newlywed Malaysian couple who had just spent a week in Bali learned that their return flight to Kuala Lumpur wouldn’t be until 11 September.
“What are we going to do here for another five days? We only prepared enough money for our honeymoon and [were supposed] to go home yesterday. We thought we would just sleep at the airport for a few hours and then take the morning flight home [on Monday]. We never thought we would end up being stuck here for days.”
International carriers also adjusted routes to manage the hazard. Singapore Airlines canceled flights between Singapore and Jakarta due to the volcanic activity, including nine on that route scheduled for Monday. Its budget carrier Scoot also canceled flights between Singapore and Jakarta scheduled for Monday, according to a separate travel advisory.
Geological Warnings and the Continuing Threat Level
Government ministers and disaster agencies stressed that the crisis remains active due to volatile atmospheric conditions. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi explained the operational difficulties facing airfield managers in relation to the temporary closures of the affected airports.
“We cannot ascertain when this will end due to the dynamic weather.”
Dudy said on Sunday that authorities across the airports have been conducting tests every 30 minutes to anticipate whether the ash spread is widening or subsiding
. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Geological Agency issued a blunt caution regarding seismic hazards, noting that the most recent eruption occurred at 20:23 on Sunday.
“the probability of further eruptions in the coming periods remains high”
Mount Anak Krakatau remains at Level III, or “Alert,” and authorities have maintained a 3-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano. Marine authorities also prohibited ships passing through the Sunda Strait from entering an exclusion zone of 3km radius from the active crater.
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