Anak Krakatau Eruption Disrupts Thousands of Flights in Indonesia

An eruption from Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano disrupted more than 1,500 flights and affected approximately 170,000 passengers on Sunday, after ash plumes forced the closure of eight airports across the western region of the country, according to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters.

The volcanic island, situated in the Sunda Strait between the main islands of Java and Sumatra, erupted for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. local time on Sunday, followed by a 16-second eruption about three hours later, Indonesia’s Geological Agency reported. Closed-circuit camera footage captured lava flares emerging from the crater as the activity intensified.

AirNav Indonesia ordered the airspace closed around Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Halim Perdanakusuma airport, alongside six other regional facilities including Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung. The closures remained in effect until midnight on Sunday.

Flight Cancellations and Passenger Impact Across Indonesia

By Sunday evening, the shutdown of the eight airports resulted in 1,558 canceled flights and impacted 170,000 travelers, according to data from aviation authorities. Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport accounted for 963 of those cancellations.

Airlines and terminal operators scrambled to manage the congestion as cascading disruptions affected aircraft rotations, fleet availability, and terminal capacity. Lukman F. Laisa, the Ministry of Transportation director general of civil aviation, stated that safety remained the primary operational priority while officials coordinated with carriers and air navigation services.

Passengers stranded at terminals faced uncertain schedules as carriers worked to clear the backlog. Diego Urdiales, a Spanish tourist stranded while attempting to return to Madrid, noted that he had received no immediate updates from his airline. Michele Gouw, an affected Indonesian passenger, acknowledged that travelers had to accept the disruptions as an unavoidable natural event.

Volcanic Activity and Ash Plume Tracking

Satellite imagery analyzed by Indonesia’s volcanology agency and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre tracked two distinct ash clouds spreading across western Indonesia. The first plume reached an altitude of 20,000 feet and drifted northeast over Jakarta, Banten, and West Java. A second cloud rose to 50,000 feet, blanketing parts of Banten, Lampung, Bengkulu provinces, the southern Sunda Strait, and sections of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.

Lana Saria, head of Indonesia’s Geological Agency, stated that volcanic activity at Anak Krakatau had been building since July, with Sunday’s explosion marking the strongest event in that timeframe. Officials indicated that the ongoing activity points to a continuous supply of magma and volcanic gases beneath the island, though experts cannot predict whether a larger eruption will follow.

Authorities reported no casualties and issued no immediate evacuation orders, as the nearest residential settlement lies more than 16 kilometers away from the active crater. The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation maintained a strict safety perimeter, warning residents and visitors to stay at least 3 kilometers away from the vent.