JAKARTA (Bernama): Indonesia has expanded temporary airport closures from six to eight, as volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau disrupted air travel, affecting about 150,000 passengers and 467 flights.
Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said the latest information from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) shortly after 5 pm local time showed that the ash was moving east at five knots at a flight level of 15,000 feet, after winds had earlier carried it west towards the Indian Ocean.
"After coordinating, we decided that all eight airports would be closed until midnight. We will see what the conditions are like at midnight,” he told reporters when met at the Terminal 1B of Soeakarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta on Sunday.
As of noon, the six affected airports were Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Banten, Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung, Husein Sastranegara Airport in West Java, as well as Budiarto and Pondok Cabe airports in Banten.
The closures were later extended to include Taufik Kiemas Airport and Atung Bungsu Airport, both in South Sumatra, bringing the total to eight.
Dudy said tests were being conducted every 30 minutes at airports further east across Java to monitor whether the ash was spreading or receding.
He said authorities have also opened Kertajati, Semarang, Juanda, Yogyakarta and Solo airports for 24-hour operations as alternatives, with ground transport arrangements, including rail services, to be provided for passengers if airlines chose to use them.
Of the 467 affected flights, 409 were domestic services and 58 international flights. Dudy said airlines were making their own arrangements for affected passengers, including providing hotel accommodation in some cases. -- BERNAMA
