Jakarta airport temporarily closed after volcanic ash detected, flights disrupted

Jakarta, Sep 6 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport near Jakarta was temporarily closed early Sunday after volcanic ash from an eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau was detected in the airport area, disrupting dozens of flights, the Ministry of Transportation said.

Lukman F. Laisa, the ministry’s director general of civil aviation, said the disruption affected both international and domestic flights at Indonesia’s main airport.

A total of 16 international flights were canceled, seven delayed and five rescheduled, with affected routes including Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul, Doha, Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur, Xinhua news agency reported.

For domestic services, four flights were canceled and one was diverted, affecting routes including Lampung, Denpasar and Surabaya.

Lukman said aviation authorities were continuing to monitor Mount Anak Krakatau’s activity and coordinate with airlines, the airport operator, air navigation service provider and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency to adjust flight operations based on volcanic ash conditions.

Earlier on Monday, Mount Sinabung in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province erupted, sending volcanic ash over the nearby city of Berastagi, a local monitoring official said.

Armen Putra, head of the Sinabung Volcano Observation Post, said a thick, dark ash column rose about 3,500 meters above the summit and drifted east and southeast.

The eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 120 millimetres and lasted about one hour. Volcanic ash blanketed roads and vehicles in Berastagi, reducing visibility in the area.

Authorities urged residents to wear masks and remain vigilant, while schools in affected areas advised students and teachers to wear masks when outdoors.

Mount Sinabung remains at Level II, or Alert status. Activities are prohibited within a three-kilometre radius of the summit and within 4.5 kilometres in the southeast sector. Residents near rivers originating from the volcano have also been warned of potential lahar flows.

In May, three people were killed after Mount Dukono erupted in Indonesia’s North Maluku province.

Mount Dukono erupted at around 7:40 am local time on May 8, sending a column of volcanic ash up to about 10 km into the sky.

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