TANGERANG, INDONESIA / RankWire.AI / – Indonesia reopened Jakarta’s main airport and several regional airports Tuesday after ash from Anak Krakatau disrupted air travel. The volcanic activity affected nearly 3,000 flights and more than 340,000 passengers across the country. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport resumed operations after authorities found that ash conditions had eased. Monitoring teams recorded three smaller eruptions Tuesday morning. The volcano remained at Level III, the second-highest alert status in Indonesia.
The Ministry of Transportation said Soekarno-Hatta, Halim Perdanakusuma and Husein Sastranegara airports reopened shortly after midnight Tuesday. Budiarto Airport and Pondok Cabe Airport resumed operations a little more than two hours later. Atung Bungsu Airport in South Sumatra had reopened Monday. Radin Inten II and Muhammad Taufiq Kiemas airports in Lampung still awaited further assessment. Authorities also ordered safety checks for aircraft exposed to the prolonged disruption before they returned to service.
The shutdown began after Anak Krakatau sent ash into airspace serving Jakarta and nearby regions. Eight airports suspended operations during the disruption, including Indonesia’s busiest international aviation hub. Airlines then adjusted domestic and international schedules as ash spread across major flight routes. Volcanic ash poses a severe risk to aircraft engines and can reduce visibility. Aviation authorities restricted flights from areas where monitoring detected ash. The closures caused widespread delays, cancellations and diversions across the national network.
Airports resume service after major disruption
Anak Krakatau entered a sustained eruptive phase late Friday in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. Continuous activity began at 11:07 p.m. and ended shortly after midnight Sunday. The episode lasted about 25 hours. Monitoring later recorded further Strombolian eruptions after the continuous phase ended. Earlier ash plumes rose to nearly 50,000 feet in some areas. The high-altitude ash spread across parts of western Indonesia and forced aviation authorities to limit access to affected airspace.
The Geological Agency kept Anak Krakatau at Level III and maintained a three-kilometer exclusion zone around the active center. Officials advised people affected by ash to reduce outdoor activity or wear masks. Authorities also urged coastal communities in Banten and Lampung to rely on official information. They warned residents against circulating unverified tsunami claims. Monitoring continued after the long eruptive episode ended, with instruments recording ongoing seismic activity and additional eruptions around the volcanic island.
Passenger impact climbs above 340,000
Airport operators worked through the effects of the shutdown as flights gradually returned Tuesday. At Soekarno-Hatta, operators required inspections for 178 aircraft that had remained grounded during the closure. Flight crews also received updated information on restricted airspace and areas where volcanic ash remained a concern. Authorities continued to check conditions around affected airports before restoring normal traffic. The aviation disruption marked one of the most significant operational effects from Anak Krakatau’s activity during the current eruptive period.
Anak Krakatau sits in the Sunda Strait and formed within the volcanic system created by the historic Krakatau eruptions. The volcano has shown increased activity during 2026, including eruptions recorded since July. A major collapse during an eruption in December 2018 generated a deadly tsunami along nearby coastlines. Indonesia has more than 100 active volcanoes. The country lies along major tectonic boundaries within the Pacific Ring of Fire, where volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur frequently.
