An eruption at the Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia on Sunday led to the suspension of all flights at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and disrupted air travel at other local airports due to the spread of volcanic ash in western Indonesia.
The volcanic island situated in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, positioned between the main Java and Sumatra islands, displayed signs of activity starting from Friday before erupting twice on Sunday, with the first eruption lasting for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. local time and the second for 16 seconds about three hours later, as reported by Indonesia’s Geological Agency. Surveillance footage captured lava flares emanating from the volcano.
No casualties were recorded, and no evacuation orders were issued as the nearest settlement is over 16 kilometers away. Nonetheless, authorities cautioned residents and visitors to maintain a minimum distance of three kilometers from the active crater.
The volcanic ash extended over portions of Jakarta and Lampung province in the southern part of Sumatra, according to Indonesia’s Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.
AirNav Indonesia enforced airspace closure around Soekarno-Hatta and Halim Perdanakusuma airports in Jakarta, along with six other airports including Radin Inten II airport in Lampung, due to the presence of volcanic ash.
By Sunday evening, the closure of eight airports impacted 170,000 passengers from 1,558 canceled flights, with 963 flights being affected at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport alone. All eight airports remained shut until 8:59 a.m. on Monday.
Diego Urdiales, a Spanish tourist, expressed inconvenience over the situation, awaiting updates from the airline. Indonesian passenger Michele Gouw acknowledged the event as a natural disaster and emphasized the need to accept it while awaiting guidance from the airline and airport.
Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation assured close monitoring of the eruption’s impact on air travel, collaborating with airlines, airport operators, air navigation services, and the meteorology agency. Lukman F. Laisa, director general of civil aviation at the Ministry of Transportation, stressed safety as the top priority in all operational decisions.
The eruption caused disruptions at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and Medan, affecting flight schedules and services. Indonesia’s volcanology agency and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre identified two ash clouds through satellite imagery, with one rising to 6,100 meters and drifting northeast over Jakarta, Banten, West Java, and nearby waters.
Lana Saria, head of Indonesia’s Geological Agency, highlighted the heightened activity at Anak Krakatau since July, with Sunday’s eruption being the most severe during that period. The ongoing eruptions indicate a continuous supply of magma and volcanic gases beneath the volcano, although the possibility of a larger eruption remains uncertain.
Anak Krakatau, translating to “child of Krakatau,” emerged after the historic Krakatau eruption of 1883, which caused global cooling. The 2018 eruption of Anak Krakatau triggered a tsunami that claimed at least 430 lives in Sumatra and Java. Researchers attribute the tsunami to volcanic activity inducing an underwater landslide, resulting in a significant collapse of Anak Krakatau’s southwest slope and subsequent reduction in the island’s size.