Indonesia reopens Jakarta airport, four others after Anak Krakatau ash clears

Jakarta and four other Indonesian airports that had been closed due to volcanic ash from eruptions at Mount Anak Krakatau have reopened, according to transport minister Dudy Purwagandhi. The ash from the volcano, situated between Java and Sumatra islands, had blanketed Jakarta and surrounding areas since its first eruption late Friday.

This closure affected more than 341,000 travelers, resulting in the cancellation of 2,961 flights across the eight affected airports. Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Jakarta's main airport, resumed operations after wind cleared the ash from its surroundings. Four additional airports, including a smaller one in Jakarta and one in Bandung, also reopened.

Two more airports remain closed as authorities verify the safety of the 178 planes that were grounded during the closure. Dudy stated that it may take some additional time to prepare these planes for safe operation. Anak Krakatau, or the "child of Krakatau," is one of the approximately 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia, located in a seismically active region known as the Pacific Ring of Fire.

The volcano began emerging a century ago from the site of the older Krakatau volcano, which destroyed itself in massive eruptions in 1883, killing over 36,000 people and causing a series of tsunamis.