Indonesia has reopened Jakarta’s main airport and four others after volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau disrupted nearly 3,000 flights and affected about 341,000 travellers.
The airports had been closed after eruptions from the volcano, in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, sent ash over Jakarta and nearby areas from Friday.
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesia’s main gateway, and Halim Perdanakusuma Airport resumed operations early Tuesday after winds shifted and ash conditions improved. Two airports remained closed as authorities continued safety checks.
Indonesia’s coordinating minister for infrastructure, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, said 2,961 flights had been delayed, diverted or cancelled, affecting about 341,000 passengers.
Authorities had ordered airports to close as volcanic ash can reduce visibility and damage aircraft engines. The eruption sent ash as high as 6,000 metres on the Java side of the volcano and 15,000 metres toward Sumatra and parts of Banten province.
Officials are also inspecting 178 aircraft that were grounded at Soekarno-Hatta before allowing them to return to service.
President Prabowo Subianto said Indonesia must improve its disaster-response capacity, citing the country’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common.
Anak Krakatau, meaning “Child of Krakatau”, emerged from the remains of Krakatau, whose devastating 1883 eruption triggered tsunamis that killed more than 36,000 people. A tsunami linked to Anak Krakatau’s 2018 eruption killed more than 400 people.