JAKARTA: (Bernama) Flight operations at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport are gradually returning to normal after days of disruption caused by Mount Anak Krakatau's volcanic ash with 324 flights operated as of 1pm Tuesday (Sept 8).
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Communication and Legal Deputy Yudis Tiawan said the flights comprised 208 departures and 116 arrivals.
"We hope conditions will continue to improve,” he said on Tuesday, advising passengers scheduled to fly to ensure their tickets and flight status had been confirmed by their respective airlines before heading to the airport.
Soekarno-Hatta reopened at 12.30am on Tuesday after authorities declared conditions safe for flight operations, along with seven other airports that had been temporarily closed due to volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau.
Yudis said the airport had carried out safety procedures before resuming operations, including checks on the runway, taxiways and other aviation safety facilities, while volcanic ash was periodically cleared from operational areas.
Meanwhile, National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Disaster Data, Information and Communication Centre acting head Berton Panjaitan said conditions related to volcanic ash in Lampung, Banten, West Java and Jakarta had become more conducive, based on the latest satellite analysis.
"The volcanic ash is now moving westward, based on satellite imagery analysis, with winds at 15 knots. At present, the ash is tending more towards the Indian Ocean,” he told an online press conference on Tuesday.
Despite the improving conditions, Berton said BNPB continued weather modification operations (OMC) from Pondok Cabe Airport on Tuesday after its reopening to help reduce airborne volcanic ash, using water mist to trap pollutants and cloud seeding to encourage rainfall.
Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, remained at Level III (Alert), the second-highest level in Indonesia's four-tier volcano alert system, after major eruptions on Sunday disrupted hundreds of flights and affected thousands of passengers.
The volcano recorded three eruptions on Tuesday, and authorities maintained a three-kilometre exclusion zone around the volcano. - Bernama
