TANGERANG, INDONESIA / RankWire.AI / – Indonesia reopened Jakarta’s main airport and several regional airports Tuesday after volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau disrupted air travel. More than 340,000 travelers faced delays, cancellations or diversions during the disruption. Nearly 3,000 flights across Indonesia felt the impact. Authorities reopened Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after winds cleared ash from critical aviation areas. Anak Krakatau remained active Tuesday, with monitors recording three smaller eruptions during the morning.
The Ministry of Transportation said Soekarno-Hatta, Halim Perdanakusuma and Husein Sastranegara airports resumed operations at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. Budiarto Airport in Curug and Pondok Cabe Airport followed at 2:25 a.m. Atung Bungsu Airport in South Sumatra had reopened Monday morning. Two airports in Lampung, Radin Inten II and Muhammad Taufiq Kiemas, still awaited further assessment in the latest official transport update. Airport authorities also ordered aircraft safety inspections before normal operations resumed.
The closures began after Anak Krakatau sent volcanic ash across airspace serving Jakarta and surrounding regions. Eight airports halted operations during the disruption, including Indonesia’s busiest international gateway at Soekarno-Hatta. Volcanic ash can damage aircraft engines and reduce visibility, making it a serious aviation hazard. Authorities also restricted aircraft from entering airspace where monitoring detected ash. The disruption spread through domestic and international schedules as airlines adjusted departures, arrivals and aircraft movements across affected airports.
Major airports reopen after ash clears
Anak Krakatau’s latest period of sustained activity began late Friday in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. A continuous eruptive episode started at 11:07 p.m. Friday and ended shortly after midnight Sunday. The episode lasted about 25 hours. Monitoring recorded additional Strombolian eruptions after the continuous phase stopped. Earlier ash clouds reached altitudes approaching 50,000 feet in some areas, spreading volcanic material across parts of western Indonesia and disrupting major flight corridors.
The Geological Agency kept Anak Krakatau at Level III, Indonesia’s second-highest volcanic alert level. Authorities maintained a three-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano’s active center. Officials advised residents affected by volcanic ash to reduce outdoor activity or use masks. Coastal communities in Banten and Lampung were told to follow official guidance and reject unverified tsunami claims. The volcano’s monitoring network continued recording seismic and eruptive activity after the longer continuous eruption ended over the weekend.
Travel disruption reaches hundreds of thousands
Tuesday’s three smaller eruptions came as airports worked through the effects of the multi-day shutdown. Officials required operators and airlines to inspect aircraft that remained grounded during the closure. At Soekarno-Hatta, 178 aircraft required airworthiness checks before returning fully to service. Pilots and operating crews also received instructions on restricted airspace containing volcanic ash. Those measures accompanied the reopening of airports after authorities determined that conditions had improved enough for flight operations.
Anak Krakatau is an active volcanic island in the Sunda Strait and emerged from the Krakatau volcanic complex. Its activity has increased during 2026, including eruptions recorded since July. The volcano also experienced a major collapse during an eruption in December 2018 that generated a deadly tsunami along nearby coastlines. Indonesia has more than 100 active volcanoes because it sits along major tectonic boundaries in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently.