Jakarta airport suspends flights due to Mount Anak Krakatau ash; SIA among affected airlines

JAKARTA: Indonesia's Soekarno-Hatta international airport has extended its suspension of flight operations until 5.30pm (6.30pm, Singapore time) on Sunday (Sep 6) due to volcanic ash from the ongoing eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, Jakarta's main airport posted on Instagram.

The suspension, initially scheduled until 5.30am, was subsequently extended to 9.30am, 1.30pm and then 5.30pm. 

Based on flight data from 1.30am to 1.30pm on Sunday, 301 flights were affected by cancellations, delays, diversions to other airports and other operational disruptions, according to the airport. Of these, 233 were domestic flights, 58 were international flights and 10 were cargo flights.

Jakarta's main airport is about 180km from Mount Anak Krakatau.

International flights scheduled for Sunday that were delayed or cancelled include some to or from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Doha, according to the airport's website.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) was among the airlines affected. The carrier cancelled 19 flights between Singapore and Jakarta on Sunday. 

"As the situation remains fluid, other SIA flights between Singapore and Indonesia may be affected," said the carrier. 

Passengers are advised to check SIA's flight status page for the latest information on their flights.

Mount Anak Krakatau has been erupting since late on Friday, with volcanic ash detected in the airport early on Sunday.

Snaking queues formed at Soekarno-Hatta international airport as stranded passengers sought refunds, rescheduled their flights or tried to find out when they could fly.

The airport said it was providing food and refreshments to affected passengers and had arranged buses at each terminal to transport them to hotels, in coordination with the airlines.

Designated areas within the terminals, including the employee lounge, have also been made available for passengers to rest, the airport added.

Henny Yensan, 44, who had hoped to go back to her hometown with her mother, said "everybody was disappointed".

"No one flew into a rage, because after all, this is due to natural disaster," the businesswoman, who had to reschedule her flight to Tuesday, told AFP.

Samuel Guiberteau, a Danone executive on a business trip to Lombok since Friday, said by phone "nothing is certain for the moment", as he searched for alternative flights back to the capital.

Ash was identified as high as 6,000 metres on the Java side of the volcano and a plume of up to 15,000 metres on the Sumatra side and some parts of Banten province in Java, the meteorological agency BMKG posted on its website.

Anak Krakatau is roughly halfway between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia's vast island chain, which sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent.

Indonesia's Geological Agency head Lana Saria said at a press conference on Sunday that Anak Krakatau began showing renewed activity in July, reaching its highest level on Saturday.

"However, frequent eruptions do not automatically mean that a larger eruption will occur," she said, adding that the agency will continue to monitor the volcano's activity and data.

Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, BNPB, "urges the public to remain calm while increasing vigilance. In the event of ashfall, people are advised to wear masks and eye protection, reduce outdoor activities, cover water sources and exercise caution when driving, as volcanic ash can reduce visibility," said spokesperson Berton Panjaitan.

Several schools cancelled activities on Saturday with students and residents suffering eye irritation from the ash, while fishermen cancelled their fishing trips due to the eruption, local media outlet Kompas reported.

The disaster mitigation agency said on Saturday there was no imminent risk of tsunami from the volcano.

A tsunami in 2018 caused by Anak Krakatau eruptions killed hundreds and injured hundreds more on Java and Sumatra.

Anak Krakatau, which means child of Krakatau, emerged a century ago from the area once occupied by Krakatau, then known as Krakatoa. Krakatoa was destroyed in 1883, when its massive eruptions killed more than 36,000 people in a series of tsunamis.