Jakarta flights resume after Anak Krakatau ash cloud disrupts travel

Flights to and from Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, resumed early Tuesday after a two-day shutdown caused by ash from the Anak Krakatau volcano. The closure had grounded nearly 3,000 flights and affected around 341,000 passengers.

Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi announced that Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, along with Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung and two smaller airports in Banten province, reopened just after midnight. Three other airports, including Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung, remained closed until 10 a.m. as a precaution.

"We are taking a conservative approach because wind direction is highly dynamic," Purwagandhi said, explaining that authorities wanted to ensure volcanic ash had moved away from airports near the volcano. The extended closures allowed time for inspections and cleaning of runways, taxiways, and aircraft that may have been exposed to ash.

The continuous eruption, which featured lava fountains and loud booms, ended Sunday, though the volcanic island remained active Tuesday morning. The government has authorized schools in affected areas to shift to online learning temporarily to reduce students' exposure to ash.

Anak Krakatau, whose name means "child of Krakatau," is located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. It is the offspring of the infamous Krakatau, whose 1883 eruption caused global cooling. A 2018 eruption of Anak Krakatau triggered a tsunami that killed at least 430 people.

The volcano has been at Indonesia's second-highest alert level since July, with authorities advising people to stay at least 3 kilometers from the active crater. Indonesia, situated along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," has more than 120 active volcanoes.