Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano erupted early Sunday, prompting the cancellation of all flights at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport as volcanic ash drifted across parts of western Indonesia.
Indonesia’s Geological Agency said the volcanic island located in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait between the main Java and Sumatra islands had shown signs of activity since Friday before erupting for 30 seconds at 3.53am on Sunday.
The agency’s closed-circuit camera showed lava flares at the mountain.
There were no casualties reported and no evacuation order issued. The nearest settlement is more than 16km. But the agency warned residents and visitors to stay at least 3km from the volcano’s active crater.
Volcanic ash spread across parts of the capital Jakarta and Lampung province on the southern tip of Sumatra island, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.
“Due to increased activity from the Mount Anak Krakatau eruption, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has temporarily suspended flight operations from 5.30am to 9.30am,” the airport said in a travel advisory early Sunday.
Passengers at the country’s busiest airport sought refunds and reclaimed checked baggage as departure boards displayed a growing list of canceled flights.
Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said it was closely monitoring the eruption's impact on air travel and coordinating with airlines, airport operators, air navigation services and the meteorology agency. It said 170 aircraft parked overnight at Soekarno-Hatta remained on airport aprons.
The closure had affected 209 flight movements and about 22,800 passengers on Sunday, including the busy domestic route to Makassar in South Sulawesi, while Singapore was the international destination with the highest number of disrupted flights.
Other international flight disruptions including cancellations, delays and rescheduled services involved Hong Kong, Sydney and Amsterdam, as well as Seoul, South Korea, Doha, Qatar, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Domestic flights to Lampung, Bali and Surabaya also were canceled or diverted.
“Safety remains our top priority in every operational decision,” Lukman F Laisa, Ministry of Transportation director general of civil aviation, said in a statement.
He warned flight schedules could face cascading disruptions affecting aircraft rotations, fleet availability and terminal capacity as airlines work to restore operations.
Authorities urged travelers to check with airlines for the latest flight information and advised passengers temporarily avoid the airport unless necessary.
Indonesia's volcanology agency and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Australia identified two ash clouds using satellite imagery.
One plume rose to an altitude of 20,000ft (6,100m) while drifting northeast, affecting parts of Jakarta, Banten, West Java and surrounding waters.
A second cloud reached 50,000ft (15,200m) and was moving westward and northwestward, covering parts of Banten, Lampung and Bengkulu provinces, the southern Sunda Strait and sections of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.
Anak Krakatau, which means “child of Kratakau”, is the offspring of the famous Krakatau, whose monumental 1883 eruption triggered a period of global cooling.
The eruption caused a tsunami in 2018 that killed at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java.
Researchers believe volcanic activity triggered an underwater landslide and caused a large chunk of Anak Krakatau’s southwest slope to collapse and displace a large volume of water.
The volcano has been rated at second highest alert status on a scale of four since has remained in place since then. Scientists said Anak Krakatau island is now only about a quarter of its original size.
Anak Krakatau is roughly halfway between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia's vast island chain, which sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent.
Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, BNPB, "urges the public to remain calm while increasing vigilance”.
In the event of ashfall, people are advised to wear masks and eye protection, reduce outdoor activities, cover water sources and exercise caution when driving, as volcanic ash can reduce visibility," said spokesperson Berton Panjaitan.
Several schools cancelled activities on Saturday with students and residents suffering eye irritation from the ash, while fishermen cancelled their fishing trips due to the eruption, local media outlet Kompas reported.
The disaster mitigation agency said on Saturday there was no imminent risk of tsunami from the volcano.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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