Anak Krakatau Eruption Shuts Indonesian Airports, Disrupts Hundreds Of Flights

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Indonesia halted operations at six airports Sunday, including the main international airport near Jakarta, the capital, disrupting hundreds of flights after the Anak Krakatau volcano spewed ash high into the atmosphere.

The eruption produced fountains of lava and booming sounds that Indonesia’s geological agency said could be heard as far as 700 kilometers (435 miles) away. Authorities recorded two additional eruptions Sunday.

Dramatic video footage reviewed by Worthy News appeared to show glowing lava fountains shooting from the volcano during the eruption. Indonesian geological authorities confirmed that Anak Krakatau was producing sustained lava fountains, although Worthy News could not independently verify the origin of the widely shared footage.

Volcanic ash spread across parts of the capital and neighboring Banten province, prompting authorities to suspend operations at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesia’s busiest aviation hub.

Airport operator Angkasa Pura said the disruption affected 301 flights, including 58 international services. Singapore Airlines canceled flights to and from the airport for the remainder of Sunday, while Australia’s Qantas also reported cancellations and other disruptions.

ASH CLOUD REACHES 15 KILOMETERS

“Safety remains our highest priority,” Qantas said, adding that its meteorologists and operations teams were monitoring conditions and that services would resume when circumstances allowed.

Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said volcanic ash reached about 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) on the Java side of Anak Krakatau and as high as 15,000 meters (49,000 feet) toward Sumatra and parts of Banten province.

Authorities said tests at Soekarno-Hatta confirmed volcanic ash in the airport area, forcing repeated extensions of the shutdown.

Other airports were also affected, including Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung, as authorities monitored the movement of the ash cloud.

The Transportation Ministry said tens of thousands of passengers were affected, with routes involving Singapore particularly disrupted. International connections involving Doha, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur were also impacted.

BALI FLIGHTS CANCELED

At least 16 domestic flights to Bali were canceled, local airport authorities said.

The eruption also affected communities surrounding the Sunda Strait. Several schools canceled activities after students and residents complained of eye irritation fromvolcanic ash, while fishermen abandoned their fishing trips.

Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency BNPB said authorities planned weather-modification operations, potentially including cloud seeding, in an effort to produce rain that could help clear ash from affected areas.

“If it rains heavily enough, the volcanic ash that has been disrupting our daily lives since yesterday and continuing today will be washed away quickly,” BNPB chief Suharyanto told reporters.

No casualties were reported and authorities had not ordered large-scale evacuations. However, residents and visitors were warned to remain at least 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) from Anak Krakatau’s active crater.

SHIPS WARNED

Ships traveling through the Sunda Strait, an important waterway between Java and Sumatra, were also prohibited from approaching within 3 kilometers (nearly 2 miles) of the volcano.

Volcanic ash poses a potentially severe threat to aircraft because particles can enter jet engines, melt onto hot internal components, damage turbine blades and interfere with air and fuel systems. Ash can also severely reduce visibility and damage cockpit windscreens.

Anak Krakatau, whose Indonesian name means “Child of Krakatau,” stands in the Sunda Strait between the densely populated islands of Java and Sumatra, more than 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the Indonesian capital.

The volcano began emerging from the sea within the massive volcanic crater, or caldera, left by the catastrophic 1883 eruption of Krakatau, one of the deadliest volcanic disasters in recorded history.

The eruption and resulting tsunamis killed more than 36,000 people, while material blasted high into the atmosphere contributed to a measurable decline in global temperatures. U.S. government scientists say temperatures fell by as much as about 0.5 degrees Celsius (0.9 Fahrenheit) in the year following the eruption, with atmospheric effects lingering for several years.

INDONESIA’S RING OF FIRE

Indonesia lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of tectonic fault lines and volcanoes where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur frequently.

The renewed activity at Anak Krakatau came as another Indonesian volcano, Mount Semeru in East Java, also erupted Sunday, sending an ash column about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) above its summit.

Authorities continued monitoring volcanic activity and aviation conditions as Indonesia sought to restore flights and clear ash from affected communities.