Indonesia Reopens Five Airports After Anak Krakatau Eruption Disrupts Nearly 3,000 Flights

Flights restart, but thousands still face disrupted journeys

Indonesia began reopening five airports after midnight on Tuesday after an eruption of Anak Krakatau disrupted almost 3,000 flights and left more than 340,000 passengers stranded across the country. Jakarta's main aviation hub, Soekarno Hatta International Airport, resumed operations at 00:30 local time on Tuesday, or 18:30 GMT on Monday, following final checks by officials.

The reopening followed more than two days of disruption. Anak Krakatau, in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, began erupting late on Friday, sending up lava fountains and spreading ash across parts of Lampung, western Java and the airspace around Jakarta. Airports suspended operations while airlines assessed whether aircraft could safely take off and land.

Soekarno Hatta was the first airport to halt flights, on Sunday morning. Other airports were reopening in stages, although airlines warned that cancellations and delays could continue while aircraft and crews were moved back into position.

Indonesia's Transport Ministry put the number of affected passengers at around 270,000 at one stage. Later figures, covering cancelled, delayed and diverted flights, raised the total above 340,000 as the disruption continued and more services were affected.

Passengers faced two connected problems: waiting for airspace to become safe and waiting for airlines to restore their schedules. An aircraft unable to reach Jakarta could also miss its next departure from the capital, spreading disruption to people whose journeys began elsewhere.

How the disruption unfolded

Anak Krakatau's activity affected both the airports beneath the ash and routes used by aircraft approaching or leaving them. The sequence stretched from the start of the eruption late on Friday to the gradual reopening of airports on Tuesday.

• Late Friday: Anak Krakatau began erupting, with lava fountains and ash spreading toward Lampung, western Java and Jakarta's airspace.
• Sunday morning: Soekarno Hatta International Airport suspended flights.
• Monday: Indonesia's Geological Agency warned that the likelihood of further eruptions remained high.
• Tuesday at 00:30 local time: Soekarno Hatta resumed operations after final checks, as five airports began reopening in stages.

Authorities could not give a fixed reopening time in advance because weather conditions were changing. Wind could move the ash cloud, affecting whether a route that had been usable remained safe for the next flight.

Travellers turn to trains, refunds and replacement flights

Soekarno Hatta's departure halls filled with long queues as travellers sought refunds, alternative tickets and information from airlines. Some watched airport screens for updates. Others arranged lengthy journeys by road, rail or ferry to reach airports outside the area affected by ash.

Finna, 46, was trying to return home to Jakarta from Malang in East Java. She described a crowded terminal as flights were repeatedly rescheduled. Passengers booked on morning services were joined by people scheduled to travel later in the day, leaving many unsure whether their flights would operate.

Finna eventually spent the night on two intercity trains and reached Jakarta at about 03:00 on Monday. Her experience showed how quickly a cancelled flight could become a much longer journey, particularly when airlines could not give firm departure times because ash was moving with the wind.

Canadian traveller Michael Bociurkiw described a calmer scene at Soekarno Hatta. Airport staff provided water and snacks, while airline counters offered refunds or rebooking. Travellers who chose not to wait were advised to consider Juanda Airport near Surabaya, several hours away by road, or airports elsewhere in Indonesia.

A Malaysian couple on honeymoon in Bali faced the prospect of several extra days away from home after being told their next flight to Kuala Lumpur might not operate for days. Amir Hamzah, 29, said they had planned to leave on the day their flight was cancelled and had brought enough money for a short holiday, rather than an extended stay.

Hotels near major airports filled quickly. Some passengers had to look for rooms farther from terminals, while others used trains and buses instead of continuing to wait for a flight.

Why ash can make flying dangerous

Volcanic ash consists of tiny pieces of rock, glass and minerals. When those particles enter a jet engine, they can melt in its hottest sections and then harden on turbine blades. The buildup can reduce engine power or cause an engine to fail.

Ash can also damage aircraft windshields, interfere with sensors and reduce visibility during takeoff and landing. An airport can therefore close even when it is many kilometres from the erupting volcano. Officials must consider the height and density of the ash cloud, wind direction, weather conditions and the routes used by arriving and departing aircraft.

Indonesia's meteorological agency, BMKG, reported ash reaching about 6,000 metres on the Java side of Anak Krakatau. On the Sumatra side and over parts of Banten province, the plume reached as high as 15,000 metres. Those heights placed ash in air corridors used by domestic and international services.

Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said airport authorities were conducting tests every 30 minutes to check whether the ash cloud was expanding or weakening. He explained that changing weather prevented officials from setting a firm time for the disruption to end.

We cannot ascertain when this will end due to the dynamic weather

Repeated checks were central to reopening decisions because the position of the ash could change. Conditions around an airport, along with the paths aircraft needed to use, determined when flights could resume.

Alternative airports help, but schedules take time to recover

Authorities prepared airports in East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta to receive aircraft originally scheduled to land in Jakarta. Free bus services were planned for passengers who wanted to continue their journeys from another airport, helping reduce pressure on the capital's transport network.

Domestic services were affected alongside international routes linking Indonesia with Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Doha and Sydney. A closure at a major airport reaches beyond the flights listed on its departure boards because aircraft and crews often work through a series of journeys.

An aircraft that could not arrive in Jakarta might be unavailable for its next flight from the city. Crews could also become stranded in different locations. Airlines needed to bring both back into position as airports reopened, which meant some passengers could continue facing delays or cancellations.

Airlines offered refunds, new bookings and, in some cases, rerouting. Indonesia also relaxed rules for foreign visitors whose permitted stays expired because their flights had been cancelled.

Jo Shaw, who was visiting Indonesia with members of the conservation charity Save the Rhino International, said her group abandoned plans to camp at Ujung Kulon National Park after the volcano alert level was raised. She described being stuck in an airport hotel as a manageable inconvenience and expressed greater concern for conservation workers operating near the affected area.

Ashfall brings health risks beyond the terminals

Indonesia's Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin advised people in affected areas to remain indoors while ash was falling and to wear face masks outdoors. Residents were also advised to protect their eyes and avoid unnecessary travel.

Volcanic ash can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. The health risk depends on how much ash a person encounters, how long the exposure lasts and whether they already have a medical condition. People with asthma or other respiratory illnesses can be especially vulnerable.

Schools cancelled activities after students complained of eye irritation, while fishermen stopped some trips after encountering ash at sea. One resident compared the feeling in his eyes to small grains of sand and said ash accumulated so quickly that he needed to sweep his yard every few minutes.

Ashfall can also contaminate water supplies, damage crops and make roads slippery. These hazards extend the disruption beyond aviation, affecting daily journeys, work and access to clean water in communities beneath the plume.

Further eruptions remain a concern

Indonesia's Geological Agency warned on Monday that the likelihood of further eruptions remained high. Falling incandescent rocks, meaning rocks glowing with heat, and heavy ashfall were identified as immediate dangers. Lava flows could also pose a threat if the eruption resumed and continued.

Authorities ordered people to remain at least 3 kilometres from the active crater. Ships were prohibited from entering a 3 kilometre exclusion zone around the volcano. The restrictions addressed continuing danger from eruptive material and sudden changes around the island.

Officials said there was no tsunami warning linked to the latest activity. The airport reopenings took place alongside continuing volcanic precautions, with people and vessels still required to keep away from the crater.

Anak Krakatau means Child of Krakatoa. The volcano emerged from the sea in the early 20th century inside the large caldera left by Krakatoa's catastrophic eruption in 1883. A caldera is the large depression left by a volcano after a major collapse associated with an eruption.

The 1883 eruption produced powerful explosions, ashfall across a wide area and a tsunami that killed tens of thousands of people, according to historical estimates.

Anak Krakatau became a major source of concern again in December 2018, when part of its cone collapsed into the sea. The collapse generated a tsunami that struck coastlines on Java and Sumatra, killing more than 400 people and injuring or displacing thousands.

Scientists later found that some of the rock masses involved in that collapse were about 70 to 90 metres high. The 2018 disaster remains an important part of the volcano's history because it showed how a collapse at the island could send destructive waves toward populated shores.

Indonesia's geography puts transport near active volcanoes

Indonesia sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone stretching about 40,000 kilometres around the Pacific Ocean. Several tectonic plates meet in the region, including the Indo Australian, Eurasian and Pacific plates. Their movement creates conditions for earthquakes, deep ocean trenches and volcanic activity.

The Ring of Fire contains about 75 percent of the world's active volcanoes and is associated with roughly 90 percent of global earthquakes. Indonesia's position gives it fertile volcanic soil and rich marine environments, while placing many communities, roads, ports and airports near active geological systems.

Anak Krakatau's eruption shows why the reach of volcanic disruption depends on more than the size of the eruption itself. Even a relatively short event can affect hundreds of thousands of travellers when ash reaches a major capital and one of the region's busiest air networks.

Shipping lanes, tourist destinations and densely populated coastlines add to the number of people and activities exposed to disruption. In this case, the same eruption affected aircraft routes, holiday plans, fishing trips and communities experiencing ashfall.

What passengers and residents need to do

Passengers should confirm their flight status directly with their airline before travelling to an airport. A reopened terminal can still have cancelled services while aircraft and crews are being brought back into position.

Travellers should keep boarding documents, receipts and cancellation notices because they may need them for refunds, rebooking or claims. Those considering another airport should check the entire journey, including bus, train or ferry connections. A replacement flight may depart from a location several hours away.

People in areas affected by ash should follow local instructions, limit time outdoors and use suitable face protection. Visitors should stay outside restricted zones around the volcano and avoid travelling to beaches or low lying coastal areas unless authorities say it is safe.

Indonesia's immediate task is to restore flight schedules while continuing to check the ash cloud and volcanic activity. For passengers, the practical priority is a confirmed journey rather than simply an open airport. For nearby communities, protection from ash and compliance with the exclusion zone remain central precautions.

The Bottom Line

• Five Indonesian airports began reopening after more than two days of volcanic disruption.
• Almost 3,000 flights were cancelled, delayed or diverted, leaving more than 340,000 passengers stranded.
• Soekarno Hatta International Airport resumed operations at 00:30 local time on Tuesday after final checks.
• BMKG reported ash reaching about 6,000 metres on the Java side and as high as 15,000 metres on the Sumatra side and over parts of Banten.
• Authorities continued assessing ash conditions, with airport tests every 30 minutes and further eruptions considered likely.
• People and ships were required to stay at least 3 kilometres from the volcano. No tsunami warning was issued for the latest activity.
• The December 2018 collapse of Anak Krakatau generated a tsunami that killed more than 400 people on the coasts of Java and Sumatra.
• Passengers were advised to confirm flights with airlines, while residents were advised to limit exposure to falling ash.