SIA, Scoot flights between Singapore and Jakarta cancelled after Mount Anak Krakatau eruption

At least 16 Singapore Airlines and Scoot flights to and from Jakarta have been cancelled following the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in Indonesia last Friday (Sept 4).

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport posted on its Instagram on Sunday that it had suspended flight operations until 9.30am (10.30am Singapore time) due to volcanic ash. The suspension, initially scheduled until 5.30am, was later extended several times.

In an update posted ahead of its 9.59am reopening, the airport stated that flight operations will remain suspended till 7pm. It has since affected at least 900 flights.

The following 23 flights on Monday and Tuesday have been cancelled:

SQ950, SQ952, SQ956, SQ958, SQ960, SQ962, SQ964, SQ966, SQ968, TR274, and TR276 departing Singapore for Jakarta.

SQ951 (Monday and Tuesday), SQ953, SQ955, SQ957, SQ959, SQ961, SQ963, SQ965, SQ967, TR275, and TR277 departing Jakarta for Singapore.

Both Singapore Airlines and Scoot said their customers with direct bookings can rebook or seek a refund, while those who booked their tickets through travel agents or partner airlines should contact these parties directly for assistance.

As the situation remains fluid, the two airlines said that their flight schedules may be adjusted based on developments.

Mount Anak Krakatau eruption

Anak Krakatau has erupted since late on Friday, with volcanic ash detected at the airport early on Sunday, Indonesian authorities said in a statement.

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

Anak Krakatau is roughly halfway between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia's vast island chain, which sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent.

@asiaone Indonesia Mount Anak Krakatau erupted overnight into Saturday (Sept 5) and by Sunday, affected over 300 flights, as Jakarta's main airport suspended flight operations till 5.30pm. #news #Indonesia #Volcano ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, BNPB, has urged the public to remain calm while increasing vigilance.

"In the event of ashfall, people are advised to wear masks and eye protection, reduce outdoor activities, cover water sources and exercise caution when driving, as volcanic ash can reduce visibility," said spokesperson Berton Panjaitan.

Several schools cancelled activities on Saturday with students and residents suffering eye irritation from the ash, while fishermen cancelled their fishing trips due to the eruption, local media outlet Kompas reported.

The disaster mitigation agency said on Saturday there was no imminent risk of tsunami from the volcano.

上周五（9月4日），印度尼西亚喀拉喀托火山爆发，导致至少16个新加坡航空和酷航往返雅加达的航班被取消。

苏加诺-哈达国际机场周日在其Instagram账号上发布消息称，由于火山灰的影响，航班运营暂停至上午9:30（新加坡时间上午10:30）。最初计划暂停至凌晨5:30，但之后多次延长。

机场在上午9点59分重新开放前发布的最新消息中表示，航班运营将继续暂停至晚上7点。目前，至少有900个航班受到影响。

周一和周二的以下23个航班已被取消：

SQ950、SQ952、SQ956、SQ958、SQ960、SQ962、SQ964、SQ966、SQ968、TR274 和 TR276 从新加坡飞往雅加达。

SQ951（星期一和星期二）、SQ953、SQ955、SQ957、SQ959、SQ961、SQ963、SQ965、SQ967、TR275 和 TR277 从雅加达飞往新加坡。

新加坡航空公司和酷航均表示，直接预订的乘客可以改签或申请退款，而通过旅行社或合作航空公司预订机票的乘客应直接联系这些机构寻求帮助。

由于形势仍不明朗，两家航空公司表示，航班时刻表可能会根据事态发展进行调整。

喀拉喀托之子火山喷发

印尼当局在一份声明中表示，喀拉喀托之子火山自周五晚些时候开始喷发，周日清晨在机场检测到了火山灰。

印尼气象局 (BMKG) 在其网站上发布消息称，在火山爪哇岛一侧发现了高达 20,000 英尺（6,000 米）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 50,000 英尺（15,000 米）的火山灰柱。

阿纳克喀拉喀托火山位于印度尼西亚广袤的岛链上，大致位于爪哇岛和苏门答腊岛之间。印度尼西亚地处太平洋火环上，地震和火山爆发频繁发生。

@asiaone 印尼喀拉喀托火山于周六（9月5日）凌晨喷发，到周日，超过300个航班受到影响，雅加达主要机场暂停航班运营至下午5:30。#新闻 #印尼 #火山 ♬ 原创音乐 - AsiaOne

印尼国家减灾署（BNPB）敦促公众保持冷静，同时提高警惕。

发言人伯顿·潘贾伊坦表示：“如果火山灰降落，建议人们佩戴口罩和护目镜，减少户外活动，遮盖水源，并在驾驶时谨慎，因为火山灰会降低能见度。”

据当地媒体《罗盘报》报道，由于火山灰刺激了学生和居民的眼睛，周六多所学校取消了活动；渔民也因火山喷发取消了捕鱼行程。

灾害管理机构周六表示，火山不会立即引发海啸。