Five Indonesian airports reopened on Tuesday after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau disrupted thousands of flights across the country. Authorities cleared ash from runways and other critical airport infrastructure before operations resumed.
Disruption Affected Hundreds of Thousands of Passengers
The volcanic ash disruption affected more than 340,000 travellers and approximately 2,900 flights before the airports reopened. Videos shared on social media by Soekarno-Hatta International Airport showed firefighters and fire trucks clearing runways and other operational facilities covered in ash.
Indonesia’s Transport Minister, Dudy Purwagandhi, said it may take some time for flight schedules to return to normal as authorities carry out airworthiness inspections fully:
“We ask for a little patience from passengers and the public, as we will be carrying out inspections to ensure that these aircraft are fit to fly.”
Purwagandhi added that the first aircraft to depart following the reopening was a cargo flight, with passenger operations resuming as inspections were completed.
Volcano Remains Active
Anak Krakatau had a major eruption on Saturday and erupted at least three times on Tuesday morning alone, according to Lana Saria, head of Indonesia’s national Geology Agency. Officials said Tuesday’s eruptions were less impactful than previous ones, but monitoring would continue.
The volcano is one of roughly 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which sits on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire. A 2018 eruption partially collapsed the volcano’s crater, triggering a tsunami that killed more than 400 people along the coasts of Java and Sumatra.
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