JAKARTA: All eight Indonesian airports temporarily shut due to volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau, which disrupted hundreds of flights and affected thousands of passengers, are back in operation after the remaining four reopened yesterday.
The Transport Ministry’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the four airports are Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung, Budiarto Airport in Tangerang, Pondok Cabe Airport in South Tangerang and Muhammad Taufiq Kiemas Airport in Lampung.
They joined Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta and Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung, which resumed operations shortly after midnight yesterday after aviation and meteorological authorities declared conditions safe.
Atung Bungsu Airport in Pagar Alam, South Sumatra, was the first of the eight to reopen at 9 am on Monday after an assessment found it was no longer affected by volcanic ash.
“We will continue to closely monitor and coordinate with airlines, airport operators, air navigation services and other relevant agencies on flight operations,” the directorate said in a post on its official Instagram account.
The closures began over the weekend after volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, disrupted hundreds of flights and affected thousands of passengers.
Despite the reopening of all eight airports, volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau remained in the atmosphere yesterday.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau was still detected at an altitude of up to 1.8 kilometres as of 7 am yesterday, moving south-southwest across parts of western Banten towards the Indian Ocean.
BMKG forecast generally clear to cloudy conditions around Anak Krakatau through Thursday, with southeasterly winds on Tuesday expected to shift easterly over the next two days.
The agency urged the public, particularly communities along the Sunda Strait coast, to remain vigilant, follow official updates and comply with instructions from the authorities.
Meanwhile, Wunopito Airport in East Nusa Tenggara, which serves domestic flights, was temporarily closed due to volcanic ash from Mount Ili Lewotolok.
AirNav Indonesia Corporate Secretary Executive Vice-President Hermana Soegijantoro said the airport in Lewoleba was closed from 7.01 am local time yesterday until an estimated 6 am today.
He said AirNav had issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) on the closure as volcanic activity continued, with an eruption at 6.35 am yesterday sending an ash column about 800 metres above the summit and westward.
“AirNav Indonesia continues to monitor the volcanic ash dispersion from Mount Ili Lewotolok, as well as developments in conditions around the flight area,” he said, adding that the agency was coordinating with relevant stakeholders and would issue further aeronautical information based on developments and aviation safety assessments. – BERNAMA
