TANGERANG, INDONESIA / RankWire.AI / – Indonesia has reopened Jakarta’s main airport along with several regional airports on Tuesday after volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau temporarily halted air traffic. The ash cloud impacted nearly 3,000 flights and affected over 340,000 travelers nationwide. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport resumed its operations once authorities confirmed that ash levels had decreased. Monitoring teams recorded three smaller eruptions on Tuesday morning. The volcano remains at Level III, the second-highest alert status in Indonesia.
The Ministry of Transportation announced that Soekarno-Hatta, Halim Perdanakusuma, and Husein Sastranegara airports reopened shortly after midnight on Tuesday. Operations at Budiarto Airport and Pondok Cabe Airport resumed a little more than two hours later. Additionally, Atung Bungsu Airport in South Sumatra had already reopened on Monday. Meanwhile, Radin Inten II and Muhammad Taufiq Kiemas airports in Lampung remained under assessment. Officials also mandated safety inspections for aircraft that had been exposed to the prolonged ash dispersal before returning to service.
The temporary closure was triggered when Anak Krakatau expelled ash into the airspace surrounding Jakarta and nearby regions. During the disruption, eight airports suspended their services, including Indonesia’s busiest international hub. Airlines responded by adjusting both domestic and international flight schedules as ash clouds spread across key routes. Volcanic ash presents serious risks to aircraft engines and can impair visibility. As a result, aviation authorities restricted flights from areas where ash was detected. These restrictions led to widespread delays, cancellations, and diversions across the national network.
Major airports resume services following significant interruption
Late Friday, Anak Krakatau entered an extended eruptive phase in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. The ongoing activity started at 11:07 p.m. and subsided shortly after midnight on Sunday, lasting approximately 25 hours. Subsequent monitoring recorded additional Strombolian eruptions after the main eruptive phase. In some locations, ash plumes soared nearly 50,000 feet into the sky. This high-altitude ash dispersed across parts of western Indonesia, prompting authorities to limit access to the affected airspace.
The Geological Agency maintained Anak Krakatau at Level III and enforced a three-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano’s active crater. Officials advised residents impacted by ash to minimize outdoor activities or wear masks. They also urged coastal communities in Banten and Lampung to rely solely on official sources of information and warned residents against circulating unverified tsunami alerts. Monitoring efforts continued after the eruptive episode ended, with instruments detecting ongoing seismic activity and additional eruptions around the volcanic island.
Passenger numbers affected surpass 340,000
As flights gradually resumed Tuesday, airport operators worked through the consequences of the shutdown. At Soekarno-Hatta, authorities needed to inspect 178 aircraft that had remained on the ground during the closure. Flight crews were also provided with updated information regarding restricted airspace and areas where volcanic ash persisted. Officials continued assessing conditions at affected airports before restoring full flight operations. This disruption represented one of the most substantial operational impacts from Anak Krakatau’s activity during this eruptive cycle.
Located in the Sunda Strait, Anak Krakatau formed within the volcanic system linked to the historic Krakatau eruptions. The volcano has exhibited increased activity throughout 2026, including eruptions recorded since July. A significant collapse during a December 2018 eruption caused a deadly tsunami along nearby coastlines. Indonesia is home to over 100 active volcanoes, situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a major tectonic boundary zone characterized by frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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