Jakarta flights resume after Anak Krakatau ash shuts airports for two days

Flights in Jakarta and nearby regions resumed after Anak Krakatau ash forced airport closures. Authorities restored operations with inspections while keeping the active volcano under close watch.Flights to and from Indonesia's capital and nearby regions resumed on Tuesday after volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau forced two days of airport closures, disrupting nearly 3,000 flights and affecting about 341,000 passengers.Authorities said operations restarted only after conditions were found safe for flying and airlines were told to inspect all aircraft before services resumed. While the volcano's continuous eruption ended on Sunday, Anak Krakatau remained active on Tuesday.Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Halim Perdanakusuma Airport serving Jakarta, along with three other regional airports, reopened just after midnight. Two of them returned to normal operations by late morning after one had reopened on Monday.Purwagandhi said the airports were cleared to reopen only after authorities determined that conditions were safe for aviation. He said airport authorities and airlines were required to inspect all aircraft before flights resumed. "Pilots and flight crews were also instructed to remain aware of restricted airspace zones established around areas affected by volcanic ash," Purwagandhi said.Aviation authorities temporarily bar aircraft from areas where ash has been detected because volcanic particles can damage engines and other critical systems. The continuous eruption of Anak Krakatau, marked by lava fountains and loud booms, ended on Sunday. But the volcanic island was still active on Tuesday, with four eruptions recorded between dawn and midday. The latest two eruptions lasted 19 seconds and 17 seconds, according to Indonesia's Geology Agency.After that episode, the volcano returned to strombolian activity, which involves intermittent explosions that throw out lava, ash and glowing volcanic material from the crater, unlike continuous eruptions that can last for many hours or days.Lana Saria, head of the Geological Agency, said four strombolian eruption earthquakes were recorded at Anak Krakatau on Tuesday."The return to strombolian activity signaled the end of the prolonged continuous-eruption phase," she said.None of Tuesday's eruptions could be seen because the volcano was covered by dense fog, but the agency said all four events were confirmed by seismographs that recorded volcanic tremors.The airport closures on Sunday and Monday disrupted nearly 2,961 flights, including 622 international services.The government also allowed schools in areas affected by volcanic ash to temporarily shift to online classes to reduce students' exposure to the ash.Anak Krakatau is a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. Its name means "child of Krakatau", and it formed from the remains of Krakatau, whose massive 1883 eruption triggered a period of global cooling.An eruption of Anak Krakatau in 2018 caused a tsunami that killed at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java. Researchers believe volcanic activity triggered an underwater landslide and caused a large section of the volcano's southwest slope to collapse, displacing a large volume of water.The volcano has remained at Indonesia's second-highest alert level since July, and authorities have advised residents, tourists and fishermen to stay at least 3 kilometres away from the active crater.Indonesia has more than 120 active volcanoes and frequently faces eruptions because it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a belt of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where much of the world's seismic activity takes place. With flights now resuming and safety checks in place, authorities continue to closely watch Anak Krakatau's activity.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 8, 2026 16:02 IST