Indonesia has reopened Jakarta's main airport and four others after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau forced widespread flight cancellations, though fresh eruptions have kept authorities on alert.
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport resumed operations on Tuesday after changing winds cleared ash from the area, Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said.
The airport was among eight forced to close after Anak Krakatau erupted late on Friday, sending ash across Jakarta and surrounding areas and disrupting travel for more than 340,000 passengers.
Authorities are now inspecting 178 aircraft that were grounded at Soekarno-Hatta during the closure.
“Perhaps it'll take some little extra time to prepare the planes,” Purwagandhi said.
Nearly 2,961 flights were delayed, diverted or cancelled across the affected airports, according to Chief Infrastructure Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono.
Four additional airports, including another in Jakarta and one in the nearby city of Bandung, also reopened on Tuesday, 8 September. One airport had resumed operations a day earlier, while two remained closed.
For some travellers, however, the disruption is far from over.
Alvin Pratama Putra, 31, arrived at Soekarno-Hatta on Sunday for a work trip to South Korea but was forced to wait after his flight was cancelled. He said his departure had been moved to Thursday.
“What can you do? It's nature. It's dangerous for the plane if you force it,” he said after spending days sleeping on a bench at the airport.
Anak Krakatau erupted three more times on Tuesday morning, according to Indonesia's volcano monitoring agency.
While the latest eruptions were smaller than those seen in recent days, officials warned that further flight disruption remained possible depending on the height of the ash and the direction of the wind.
“So far, the impact is not as big as the previous eruptions, but we'll continue to monitor,” said Lana Saria, head of the geological agency.
Indonesia is home to around 130 active volcanoes and sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the world's most seismically active regions.
Anak Krakatau, meaning “Child of Krakatau”, emerged roughly a century ago from the site of the former Krakatau volcano. Its predecessor was destroyed in the catastrophic 1883 eruption, which triggered devastating tsunamis and killed more than 36,000 people.
For now, flights have resumed across much of the affected region, but with the volcano still active, Indonesian authorities are watching closely for the next change in conditions.
Qatar Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari has warned that the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz threatens a global “in...
Russia and Ukraine exchanged attacks overnight. At least two people were killed in strikes on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital's Military ...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 8th of September, covering the latest developments....
At least five people were killed and five others injured when an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane overran a runway and crashed while landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday, 6 September, local officials said.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
U.S. special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday on efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Seven Indonesian airports, including two serving Jakarta, remained closed early on Monday morning because of volcanic ash from eruptions at Mount Anak Krakatau, the transport minister said. One other airport in South Sumatra has been reopened.
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has scored a historic victory in Saxony-Anhalt, emerging as the strongest party in the eastern state and putting it closer than ever to forming a regional government.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged attacks overnight. At least two people were killed in strikes on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital's Military Administration said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region, Governor Roman Busargin said.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 8th of September, covering the latest developments.
North Korea and Russia have opened their first road bridge, further strengthening ties between the two countries as they deepen their strategic partnership.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said aircraft produced by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier should no longer be sold in the United States, intensifying a growing trade dispute between Washington and Ottawa.
North Korea has sharply criticised a new round of joint military exercises involving the United States, South Korea and Japan, accusing Washington and its allies of increasing military tensions in Northeast Asia.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment