Jakarta airport and others reopen after volcanic ash crisis

Jakarta's main airport and four other key air travel hubs in Indonesia have resumed operations early Tuesday after a week-long closure due to volcanic ash from an eruption at Mount Anak Krakatau, according to the Transport Ministry. The ministry announced the restoration of services via Instagram, highlighting the return of flight operations at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the primary gateway to Jakarta.

The eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau, located about 150 kilometers from Jakarta, triggered closure of eight airports over the weekend, disrupting nearly 3,000 flights and leaving over 340,000 passengers stranded. The ministry had repeatedly extended the closures, but Tuesday marked the first day of operations at the affected airports. Airlines are now grappling with the challenge of re-routing thousands of stranded passengers to their intended destinations.

Other airports that have reopened include Halim Perdanakusuma, a significant Jakarta-area airport serving both civil and military flights, and Hussein Sastranegara in Bandung, capital of West Java. Another small airport in south Sumatra also resumed operations on Monday, but two of the original eight remain closed.

Over 240 domestic and international flights were either cancelled or delayed on Monday due to volcanic ash, according to Soekarno-Hatta airport. Nearly 30,000 passengers were affected by the disruption. The Transport Ministry had prepared six alternative airports to accommodate flights originally destined for Jakarta. Despite the significant disruption, Anak Krakatau, named "Child of Krakatau" for its location in a strait separating Java and Sumatra, has a history of sporadic activity since emerging from the sea following the 1883 Krakatoa eruption.