JAKARTA: An eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau caused the suspension of hundreds of flights at Jakarta’s main airport on Sept 6 after some school activities and fishing were halted.
Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport extended its suspension of flight operations to 1.30pm local time (2.30pm in Singapore) on Sept 6 due to volcanic ash.
The airport had been due to reopen at 9.30am, after a 5.30am halt was extended for four hours.
The 9.30am suspension had affected 209 flights, including several international flights, Indonesia’s Transportation Ministry said.
Anak Krakatau has erupted since late on Sept 4, with volcanic ash detected at the airport early on Sept 6, the ministry said in a statement.
Singapore Airlines flights were among those affected. SIA said in an update at 11.30am on Sept 6 that 19 flights have been cancelled. This includes two flights which had been earlier retimed.
Two flights on Sept 5, one departing from Singapore to Jakarta and the other, departing Jakarta for Singapore, were cancelled, Singapore’s national carrier said in an advisory that day.
These are the 19 affected SIA flights (all times local):
SQ950 departing Singapore for Jakarta on Sept 6 at 6.20am
SQ952 departing Singapore for Jakarta on Sept 6 at 7.40am
SQ956 departing Singapore for Jakarta on Sept 6 at 9.05am
SQ953 departing Jakarta for Singapore on Sept 6 at 8.05am
SQ955 departing Jakarta for Singapore on Sept 6 at 9.25am
SQ957 departing Jakarta for Singapore on Sept 6 at 11am
SQ958 departing Singapore for Jakarta on Sept 6 at 12.35pm
SQ968D departing Singapore for Jakarta on Sept 6 at 1.55pm
SQ960 departing Singapore for Jakarta on Sept 6 at 3.10pm
SQ959 departing Jakarta for Singapore on Sept 6 at 2.20pm
SQ962 departing Singapore for Jakarta on Sept 6 at 4.15pm
SQ951D departing Jakarta for Singapore on Sept 6 at 3.50pm
SQ964 departing Singapore for Jakarta on Sept 6 at 5.20pm
SQ961 departing Jakarta for Singapore on Sept 6 at 5pm
SQ966 departing Singapore for Jakarta on Sept 6 at 6.30pm
SQ963 departing Jakarta for Singapore on Sept 6 at 6.05pm
SQ965 departing Jakarta for Singapore on Sept 6 at 7.20pm
SQ967 departing Jakarta for Singapore on Sept 6 at 8.15pm
SQ968D departing Singapore for Jakarta on Sept 6 at 9.55pm
Noting that the situation remains fluid, SIA said its other flights between Singapore and Indonesia may be affected. The latest flight information can be found on its flight status page, it said.
SIA’s budget arm Scoot cancelled 12 flights on Sept 6, according to its website at noon.
The cancelled Scoot flights are:
TR274, originally scheduled to depart Singapore for Jakarta at 7.50am
TR275, originally scheduled to depart Jakarta for Singapore at 9.35am
TR276, originally scheduled to depart Singapore for Jakarta at 10am
TR277, originally scheduled to depart Jakarta for Singapore at 11.55am
TR308, originally scheduled to depart Singapore for Jakarta at 11.35am
TR309, originally scheduled to depart Jakarta for Singapore at 2.15pm
TR272D that was initially retimed to depart Singapore for Jakarta at 8.25pm
TR273D that was initially retimed to depart Jakarta for Singapore at 2.50pm
TR278, originally scheduled to depart Singapore for Jakarta at 6.15pm
TR279, originally scheduled to depart Jakarta for Singapore at 8pm
TR272, originally scheduled to depart Singapore for Jakarta at 8.30pm
TR273, originally scheduled to depart Jakarta for Singapore at 10.15pm
Other carriers, such as Batik Air, TransNusa, Citilink and Garuda Indonesia, cancelled some of their early flights, but still have later departures scheduled for the day.
Changi Airport said in a Facebook post at about 11.05am on Sept 6 that due to volcanic activity at Mount Anak Krakatau, flights to and from Jakarta are affected.
It advised travellers to check with their respective airlines for updates and advice.
Ash was identified as high as 6,000m on the Java side of the volcano and a plume of up to 15,000m on the Sumatra side and some parts of Banten province in Java, the meteorological agency BMKG posted on its website.
Anak Krakatau is roughly halfway between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia’s vast island chain, which sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent.
Dispersal of volcanic ash has disrupted activities in Lampung province in Indonesia’s Sumatra island and Banten province on Java, said Berton Panjaitan, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, BNPB.
“BNPB urges the public to remain calm while increasing vigilance. In the event of ashfall, people are advised to wear masks and eye protection, reduce outdoor activities, cover water sources and exercise caution when driving, as volcanic ash can reduce visibility,” he said.
Several schools cancelled activities on Sept 6, with students and residents suffering eye irritation from the ash, while fishermen cancelled their fishing trips due to the eruption, local media outlet Kompas reported.
The disaster mitigation agency said on Sept 5 there was no imminent risk of tsunami from the volcano.
A tsunami in 2018 caused by Anak Krakatau eruptions killed hundreds and injured hundreds more on Java and Sumatra.
Anak Krakatau, which means child of Krakatau, emerged a century ago from the area once occupied by Krakatau, then known as Krakatoa. Krakatoa was destroyed in 1883, when its massive eruptions killed more than 36,000 people in a series of tsunamis. - Reuters
