Indonesia closes 8 airports as Anak Krakatau ash disrupts flights

 Alternative airports have been opened at Kertajati, Semarang, Juanda, Yogyakarta and Solo for 24-hour operations.

Indonesia’s transport minister said volcanic ash had been detected moving east at 5 knots at 15,000 feet, after winds had earlier carried it west towards the Indian Ocean. (Bloomberg pic)

JAKARTA:

Two more airports in Indonesia have been closed, bringing the total to eight, as volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau disrupted air travel, affecting about 150,000 passengers and 467 flights.

The latest closures were of Taufik Kiemas airport and Atung Bungsu airport, both in South Sumatra. Others closed earlier were in Java: Soekarno-Hatta International and Halim Perdanakusuma in Jakarta, Radin Inten II in Lampung, Husein Sastranegara in West Java, Budiarto and Pondok Cabe in Banten.

Indonesia’s transport minister said volcanic ash had been detected moving east at 5 knots at 15,000 feet, after winds had earlier carried it west towards the Indian Ocean. Tests were being conducted every 30 minutes at airports further east across Java to monitor whether the ash was spreading or receding.

Alternative airports have been opened at Kertajati, Semarang, Juanda, Yogyakarta and Solo for 24-hour operations.

The closures affected 409 domestic services and 58 international flights. - FMT