Early Sunday morning, the Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait erupted twice, sending ash plumes that drifted over Jakarta and surrounding provinces. The eruptions, lasting 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. and again three hours later for 16 seconds, prompted immediate safety actions.
Airport shutdowns and stranded travelers
AirNav Indonesia closed the airspace around Soekarno‑Hatta International Airport, Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, and six other regional airports, including Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung. The shutdown affected 1,558 flights and left roughly 170,000 passengers stranded, with 963 of those flights canceled at Soekarno‑Hatta alone. The closures were set to remain in effect until 8:59 a.m. Monday.
“It’s of course an inconvenience,” said Diego Urdiales, a Spanish tourist awaiting a flight home to Madrid. “I was supposed to get input from the airline … but so far no news.”
“It’s a natural disaster, it’s a force majeure, so what can we do?” added Michele Gouw, an Indonesian passenger. “We just have to accept it and wait for the airline and airport directions.”
Safety and monitoring
Lukman F. Laisa, director general of civil aviation for Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation, emphasized that safety remains the top priority in all operational decisions. He warned that flight schedules could face cascading disruptions affecting aircraft rotations, fleet availability, and terminal capacity as airlines work to restore service.
Indonesia’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation is closely monitoring the eruption’s impact on air travel, coordinating with airlines, airport operators, air navigation services, and the meteorology agency.
Ash clouds and health precautions
The Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre identified two ash clouds using satellite imagery. One plume rose to 20,000 feet and drifted northeast over Jakarta, Banten, West Java, and nearby waters. A second, higher plume reached 50,000 feet, spreading over Banten, Lampung, Bengkulu, the southern Sunda Strait, and parts of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.
Volcanic ash also settled across parts of Jakarta and Lampung province, prompting health advisories. The government authorized schools in ash‑affected areas to shift temporarily to online learning to reduce students’ exposure to ashfall.
Volcano activity outlook
Lana Saria, head of Indonesia’s Geological Agency, noted that activity at Anak Krakatau has intensified since July, with Sunday’s eruption being the strongest in that period. She explained that repeated eruptions indicate a continued supply of magma and volcanic gases beneath the volcano, though officials cannot predict whether a larger eruption will occur.
“We continue to evaluate the volcano’s development based on all monitoring data, not solely on the number of eruptions or the height of the ash column,” Saria said in a video briefing. The main hazards remain ashfall, high‑concentration gases, and the ejection of hot rocks around the crater.
Historical context
Anak Krakatau, meaning “child of Krakatau,” is the offspring of the famous 1883 Krakatau eruption that caused global cooling. A 2018 eruption of Anak Krakatau triggered a tsunami that killed at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java after a massive landslide collapsed part of the volcano’s southwest slope.
Authorities continue to monitor the volcano closely, urging residents and visitors to stay at least two miles from the active crater while no evacuation order has been issued.
Original reporting: KOAT Albuquerque — read the source article.
