Indonesia shuts five airports as Krakatau ash spreads

Indonesian authorities temporarily closed five airports on Sunday after detecting volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau spreading across western Java, forcing the cancellation of dozens of domestic and international flights and disrupting travel for approximately 23,000 passengers. Transport Ministry officials identified Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, Raden Inten II Airport in Lampung, Budiarto Airport in Curug and Pondok Cabe Airfield among the affected facilities, while Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was shuttered from 1:30 am Sunday local time.

Major hubs affected by ash contamination

The closures came after volcanic ash was detected in the approaches to multiple runways, prompting coordination between airport operators, AirNav Indonesia and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency. Officials said they continued to monitor ash movement patterns throughout Sunday to determine when normal operations could safely resume, according to the Jakarta Globe.

Thousands of travelers stranded nationwide

A total of 33 flights were canceled at Soekarno-Hatta alone, with around 23,000 passengers affected by the disruptions across the archipelago. Some 170 aircraft that had remained overnight on the apron at Indonesia's busiest airport were confirmed safe, while authorities worked to accommodate stranded travelers at terminal facilities.

Volcano maintains high alert status

Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, has remained at Level III alert since July 2 — the second-highest level in Indonesia's four-tier warning system with a 3-kilometer exclusion zone. Wilya Yanto, director of Earthquakes and Tsunamis, said continuous eruptive activity including repeated lava ejections was still being observed Sunday morning, although the frequency had decreased since previous days.