Airspace reopens as Krakatau’s activity subsides
While the easing in activity allowed the eight airports near Anak Krakatau to reopen, Wunopito Airport in Lewoleba, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), remained closed, with its suspension extended until Wednesday morning as ashfall from Mount Ile Lewotolok continued.
Indonesia lifted a ban on eight airports near Anak Krakatau on Tuesday as the volcano's volcanic activity diminished, providing a respite to air travelers who had faced significant disruptions. The airports in Lampung, Banten, Jakarta, and West Java had been closed for two days after the Sunda Strait volcano erupted, spewing lava fountains and an ash plume that ascended up to 15 kilometers into the sky.
The eruption lasted 25 hours from Friday night to Saturday, forcing nearly 3,000 flights to be canceled, which affected around 341,000 passengers, according to the Transportation Ministry. Schools in Jakarta extended remote learning as authorities remained cautious about the lingering ashfall from Mount Ile Lewotolok.
Sania, a 50-year-old traveler from Binjai, North Sumatra, highlighted the impact of the closure, expressing relief at the airports reopening. She had initially been concerned about missing her child's military commissioning ceremony in Jakarta due to a flight delay. "My plan was that if I couldn't catch a flight today, I would still try to get to Jakarta [by other means], even if it meant arriving too late to see my child's commissioning tomorrow.
Thankfully, flights have returned to normal today," Sania said as she prepared to board her flight with her husband.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
