Anak Krakatau Erupts Again As Jakarta Flights Resume After 2-Day Shutdown

Flights to and from Jakarta resumed early Tuesday, September 8, after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau forced several Indonesian airports to close for two days, disrupting nearly 3,000 flights and affecting about 341,000 passengers.

Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport reopened at 12:30 am local time, followed by Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta and Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung. Budiarto Airport in Curug and Pondok Cabe Airport in Banten also reopened at about 2:25 am. However, Radin Inten II and Muhammad Taufiq Kiemas airports in Lampung remained closed pending further assessments.

The reopening came after changing winds dispersed volcanic ash from the affected areas. Indonesia’s Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said authorities were taking a cautious approach because wind conditions remained unpredictable. Airports were also inspecting runways, equipment and aircraft that may have been exposed to ash.

At Soekarno-Hatta alone, 178 aircraft were grounded during the closure and are being checked for airworthiness before returning to service. Three flights departed shortly after the airport reopened, but authorities warned that schedules would take time to fully normalise as airlines clear the backlog.

The situation remains fluid. Anak Krakatau erupted three more times on Tuesday, raising concerns about renewed ash clouds and further aviation disruption depending on wind direction and eruption intensity. The volcano remains at Indonesia’s second-highest alert level.

Airlines have begun restoring services. AirAsia resumed affected Jakarta operations, although its Jakarta-Bandar Lampung flights QZ178 and QZ179 remained cancelled on September 8. The airline advised passengers to check flight status as conditions continue to change.

Some international services also remained disrupted. Emirates cancelled three Dubai-Jakarta flights, while Qatar Airways suspended a Jakarta service on Tuesday as volcanic ash continued to affect regional air travel.

The eruption had disrupted 2,961 flights, including 622 international services, during Sunday and Monday, leaving hundreds of thousands of travellers affected.