Mount Anak Krakatau: Thousands of travellers stranded in Indonesia as volcano eruption forces airport closures
Thousands of passengers have been left stranded after a powerful volcanic eruption caused chaos across Indonesia.
The eruption of a volcano has disrupted air travel in Indonesia and forced the temporary closure of several airports as volcanic ash spreads through the surrounding airspace.
Mount Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, started producing a fountain of lava and towering columns of ash when it began erupting on Friday.
Ash reached as high as 6000 metres on the Java side of the volcano and 15,000 metres on the Sumatra side and in some parts of Banten province in Java, the meteorological agency BMKG said on its website.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.By Sunday morning, the ash prompted authorities to suspend operations at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, which is Jakarta’s main international gateway.
The suspension, extended several times, has affected 964 flights in Jakarta’s main airport alone, the transportation ministry said.
The disruption spread across the country’s aviation network, leaving another seven airports closed, 170,000 passengers stranded and more than 1500 flights affected.
“To date, 1,558 flights have been delayed at the eight affected airports, with 170,000 passengers stranded,” the Indonesian ministry said.
Qantas has also been caught up in the chaos, with the airline forced to delay and cancel several flights to and from the Indonesian capital.
“The volcanic ash has affected airport operations in Jakarta and flight paths across the region, resulting in disruptions to a number of Qantas services, including some cancellations to and from Jakarta,” the airline said in a statement, cited by The Australian.
“Our meteorologists and operations teams are closely monitoring conditions in and around Jakarta and any impact on our operations.”
Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and Lion Air Group also said they had cancelled flights to and from Jakarta on Sunday.
The eruption also disrupted daily life in parts of Java and Sumatra, with several schools cancelling activities on Saturday after students and residents suffered eye irritation from the ash.
Local fishermen were also forced to abandon fishing trips to reduce their exposure to volcanic hazards.
