JAKARTA — Indonesian authorities temporarily shut five airports on Sunday as volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau continued to spread, forcing dozens of domestic and international flight cancellations, local media reported.The Transport Ministry said Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, Raden Inten II Airport in Lampung, Budiarto Airport in Curug and Pondok Cabe Airfield were closed after volcanic ash was detected in their surrounding areas, according to the Jakarta Globe.Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the country’s main aviation hub, had earlier been temporarily closed from 1:30 a.m. Sunday.At least 33 flights were canceled due to the closure of Soekarno-Hatta alone, while around 23,000 passengers were affected by the airport disruptions.Authorities said 170 aircraft that had remained overnight on the apron at Soekarno-Hatta were confirmed safe.Officials continued to monitor the movement of the volcanic ash while coordinating with airport operators, AirNav Indonesia and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra, has remained at Level III — the second-highest level in Indonesia’s four-tier volcanic alert system — since July 2. A 3-kilometer exclusion zone remains in place around the volcano.Wilya Yanto, director of earthquakes and tsunamis, said continuous eruptive activity, including repeated lava ejections, was still being observed Sunday morning, although its frequency had decreased.JAKARTA — Indonesian authorities temporarily shut five airports on Sunday as volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau continued to spread, forcing dozens of domestic and international flight cancellations, local media reported.The Transport Ministry said Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, Raden Inten II Airport in Lampung, Budiarto Airport in Curug and Pondok Cabe Airfield were closed after volcanic ash was detected in their surrounding areas, according to the Jakarta Globe.Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the country’s main aviation hub, had earlier been temporarily closed from 1:30 a.m. Sunday.At least 33 flights were canceled due to the closure of Soekarno-Hatta alone, while around 23,000 passengers were affected by the airport disruptions.Authorities said 170 aircraft that had remained overnight on the apron at Soekarno-Hatta were confirmed safe.Officials continued to monitor the movement of the volcanic ash while coordinating with airport operators, AirNav Indonesia and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency.Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra, has remained at Level III — the second-highest level in Indonesia’s four-tier volcanic alert system — since July 2. A 3-kilometer exclusion zone remains in place around the volcano.Wilya Yanto, director of earthquakes and tsunamis, said continuous eruptive activity, including repeated lava ejections, was still being observed Sunday morning, although its frequency had decreased.
Indonesia shuts five airports as Anak Krakatau ash disrupts flights
