Indonesia Halts Flights at Jakarta Airport Following Mount Anak Krakatau Eruption
Indonesian authorities suspended flight operations at Jakarta and Lampung airports on Sunday after an eruption at Mount Anak Krakatau sent ash clouds up to 50,000 feet into the atmosphere.
Flight disruptions across Java and Sumatra
Aviation authorities in Indonesia suspended flight operations at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport early on Sunday following an eruption at Mount Anak Krakatau. State-owned airport operator InJourney Airports announced on social media that volcanic ash forced ground stops and cancellations across western Indonesia, including airports in Lampung province on the southern tip of Sumatra island. Inside the country's busiest air hub, departure boards filled with canceled flights while stranded passengers queued at airline customer counters to request ticket refunds and reclaim checked baggage. Physical tests conducted around the airport complex confirmed the dispersion of volcanic ash across the facility, prompting the temporary suspension of all air traffic on Sunday morning.
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport issued an operational advisory outlining the morning closure.
Due to increased activity from the Mount Anak Krakatau eruption, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has temporarily suspended flight operations from 5:30 a.m. to 9.30 a.m.
Chronology of the Sunda Strait eruption
The volcanic island of Anak Krakatau sits in Indonesia's Sunda Strait between the main islands of Java and Sumatra. Indonesia's Geological Agency reported that the volcano showed initial signs of activity on Saturday before producing an explosive event early on Sunday. Automated monitoring systems recorded the eruption at 3:53 a.m. on Sunday, with the explosive activity lasting for 30 seconds. The brief burst ejected volcanic materials high into the atmosphere, triggering swift notifications to civil aviation authorities and regional transport operators. Volcanologists tracked the immediate spread of the ejected material as prevailing winds carried ash across nearby straits and populated landmasses.
- Anak Krakatau shows preliminary signs of volcanic activity
- Volcano erupts for 30 seconds in the Sunda Strait
- Flight operations suspended at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport
- Scheduled end of the temporary flight suspension window
Satellite tracking of dual ash plumes
Satellite monitoring conducted jointly by Indonesia's volcanology agency and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Australia identified two distinct ash clouds dispersing from the crater. The lower plume climbed to an altitude of 20,000 feet (6,100 meters) and drifted toward the northeast, carrying ash across Jakarta, Banten, West Java, and surrounding waters. A second, higher plume reached 50,000 feet (15,200 meters) into the atmosphere. This larger cloud moved westward and northwestward, blanketing skies over parts of Banten, Lampung, and Bengkulu provinces, as well as the southern Sunda Strait and sections of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.
- Northeast plume
- 20000 ft
- Westward plume
- 50000 ft
Safety exclusion zones and hazard assessments
Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation confirmed that the eruption caused no casualties, and authorities issued no evacuation orders for coastal communities. The nearest residential settlement is situated more than 16 kilometers (10 miles) away from the volcanic island, shielding nearby populations from immediate surface impact. However, the agency warned residents, tourists, and mariners to stay at least 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) away from the active crater. Anak Krakatau has been under close observation since its explosive collapse in 2018, which generated a tsunami that killed at least 430 people along the coastlines of Sumatra and Java.
