Indonesia’s main airport suspends flights due to Anak Krakatau eruption

Volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau disrupts flights at Soekarno-Hatta International airport, near Jakarta.

Travellers wait for their flights at Soekarno-Hatta International airport near Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 6, 2026 [Tatan Syuflana/AP]

Flights have been suspended at Indonesia’s main airport outside Jakarta after volcanic ash from the erupting Mount Anak Krakatau was detected over the country’s capital.

Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta International airport said on Sunday morning that it suspended flight operations until 1:30pm local time (06:30 GMT) due to “increased eruptive activity” of the volcano, more than 150km (93 miles) away.

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Anak Krakatau, which began erupting late on Friday, produced a fountain of lava and booming sounds that could be heard up to 700km (435 miles) away, according to the meteorological agency BMKG.

Two new eruptions were recorded on Sunday, the volcanology agency warned.

Ash was identified as high as 6,000 metres (20,000 feet) on the Java side of the volcano, and a plume of up to 15,000 metres (50,000 ft) on the Sumatra side and some parts of Banten province in Java, BMKG posted on its website.

An earlier airport suspension had been due to end at 5:30am (22:30 GMT Saturday), affecting 33 flights, including 16 international cancellations and seven delays, Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation said.

Director General of Civil Aviation Lukman F Laisa said the extended suspension followed a “paper test” conducted between 12:35am and 1:05am (17:35 GMT and 18:05 GMT Saturday) that confirmed the presence of volcanic ash at the airport.

“Safety remains the top priority in every operational decision, including flight schedule adjustments made by airlines,” Lukman said, adding that authorities would continue monitoring the situation with airlines, air navigation services and Indonesia’s meteorological agency.

Mount Anak Krakatau volcano spews hot lava as seen from Pasauran village in Serang, Banten province, Indonesia, on September 5, 2026 [Rikardo/Reuters]

Singapore Airlines was among the carriers affected, cancelling two flights to and from Jakarta on Saturday and delaying two more into Sunday.

Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said on Saturday that there was no imminent tsunami risk from the eruption.

Anak Krakatau emerged from the sea in the 1920s in the caldera left by the catastrophic 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, one of the deadliest volcanic events in recorded history.

The volcano has erupted periodically in the decades since, including a 2018 eruption that triggered a partial collapse of its crater and a tsunami that killed more than 400 people along the coasts of Java and Sumatra.

Volcanic ash poses a serious hazard to aircraft, capable of damaging jet engines and reducing visibility.

阿纳克喀拉喀托火山喷发的火山灰扰乱了雅加达附近苏加诺-哈达国际机场的航班。

2026 年 9 月 6 日，旅客在印度尼西亚雅加达附近的苏加诺-哈达国际机场等待航班 [Tatan Syuflana/美联社]

由于喀拉喀托火山喷发产生的火山灰飘散到印尼首都雅加达上空，印尼首都雅加达郊外的主要机场已暂停航班。

印尼苏加诺-哈达国际机场周日上午表示，由于150多公里（93英里）外的火山“喷发活动加剧”，该机场暂停航班运营至当地时间下午1点30分（格林尼治标准时间06:30）。

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列表 3/3：印尼森林大火产生的有毒烟雾笼罩马来西亚婆罗洲

据印尼气象局 (BMKG) 称，喀拉喀托之子火山于周五晚些时候开始喷发，喷出熔岩，发出轰鸣声，远在 700 公里（435 英里）外都能听到。

火山学机构警告称，周日记录到两次新的火山喷发。

印尼气象、气候和地球物理局 (BMKG) 在其网站上发布消息称，在火山爪哇岛一侧发现了高达 6,000 米（20,000 英尺）的火山灰，在苏门答腊岛一侧和爪哇岛万丹省的部分地区发现了高达 15,000 米（50,000 英尺）的火山灰柱。

印尼交通部表示，此前机场暂停运营的措施原定于早上 5:30（格林尼治标准时间周六 22:30）结束，该措施影响了 33 个航班，其中包括 16 个国际航班取消和 7 个国际航班延误。

民航总局局长卢克曼·F·莱萨表示，延长停航期限是因为在凌晨 12:35 至 1:05（格林尼治标准时间周六 17:35 至 18:05）进行的“纸质测试”证实了机场存在火山灰。

卢克曼表示：“安全仍然是所有运营决策的首要考虑因素，包括航空公司做出的航班时刻表调整。”他还补充说，当局将继续与航空公司、空中导航服务机构和印尼气象局一起监测情况。

2026 年 9 月 5 日，从印度尼西亚万丹省 Serang 的 Pasauran 村可以看到阿纳克喀拉喀托火山喷出炽热的熔岩 [Rikardo/Reuters]

新加坡航空公司是受影响的航空公司之一，周六取消了往返雅加达的两班航班，另有两班航班推迟到周日。

印尼灾害管理机构周六表示，此次火山喷发不会立即引发海啸风险。

喀拉喀托之子火山于 20 世纪 20 年代从海中升起，它位于喀拉喀托火山 1883 年灾难性喷发留下的火山口内，喀拉喀托火山喷发是历史上最致命的火山事件之一。

此后的几十年里，这座火山曾多次喷发，包括 2018 年的一次喷发，导致火山口部分坍塌，并引发海啸，造成爪哇岛和苏门答腊岛沿海地区 400 多人死亡。

火山灰对飞机构成严重威胁，能够损坏喷气式发动机并降低能见度。