TANGERANG - The last three Indonesian airports still closed by Anak Krakatau ash reopened Tuesday morning, Sept. 8, after immigration authorities introduced emergency stay relief for stranded foreign nationals.
The Directorate General of Immigration is issuing Izin Tinggal Keadaan Terpaksa (ITKT), or emergency stay permits, to foreign nationals affected by flight cancellations and diversions linked to the eruption.
Foreigners who overstay because of the force-majeure disruption face a Rp0 overstay charge, Immigration Director General Hendarsam Marantoko said in an immigration statement carried by ANTARA.
The permits can be issued for up to 30 days and extended under existing rules. Applicants or airline representatives must provide a declaration from a civil aviation authority, airline or airport authority, together with the traveller’s travel document and visa or existing stay permit.
By Sept. 7, Soekarno-Hatta immigration had handled 26 ITKT applications and added a second dedicated service counter.
Central Jakarta had handled five applications, North Jakarta four, Depok and South Jakarta two each, and Ngurah Rai, Juanda, Bekasi and Tangerang one each. The listed offices therefore accounted for 43 applications across nine offices.
The relief came during a much wider aviation disruption. The Transport Ministry reported that 2,961 flights had been affected by Monday afternoon, Sept. 7, including 2,339 domestic and 622 international services, with about 341,000 passengers affected. The total covered cancellations, delays and diversions.
The final three airports still closed Tuesday morning — Muhammad Taufiq Kiemas, Radin Inten II and Salakanagara Tanjung Lesung — reopened under updated NOTAMs between 9:31 a.m. and 9:50 a.m. WIB.
AirNav Indonesia said airports remained under monitoring because volcanic ash was still detected in the flight region. The reopenings followed the airport shutdowns on Sept. 7.
Anak Krakatau remained at Level III, or Siaga, Tuesday. A Sept. 7 Geological Agency evaluation recorded three Strombolian eruptions after a roughly 25-hour continuous eruption episode ended at 12:04 a.m. Sept. 6.
Further eruptions continued Tuesday, including one recorded by PVMBG at 11:34 a.m. Authorities continued to prohibit activity within three kilometres of the volcano’s active centre.
“We understand the difficult situation and inconvenience experienced by passengers due to these flight disruptions,” Hendarsam said. Immigration said the emergency arrangements were intended to give affected foreigners legal certainty while their travel was disrupted.
