Some Hong Kong employment and travel companies have warned that air traffic in Jakarta could continue to face disruptions even after the Indonesian capital’s international airport reopened following a volcanic eruption that spewed ash into the sky, as airlines work through a backlog.
GLC (Manado) Employment Service founder and director Chu Shek-yin told the South China Morning Post that he would not rush to book an air ticket for his client’s helper despite the resumption of operations at all eight airports in Indonesia on Tuesday.
Chu said the helper was scheduled to receive a work visa for Hong Kong around this week but the string of flight cancellations meant the helper’s arrival would be delayed by a week or more.
“I won’t book an air ticket until Jakarta’s airport operations stablilise. Otherwise, my heart will beat like a roller coaster,” he said.
He recalled an “upsetting” experience over a year ago when a sudden airport closure due to another volcanic eruption left a helper stranded and he had to share some of the losses with his client by buying another air ticket.
Chu said an employment agency typically charged about HK$18,000 (US$2,296) to bring over an Indonesian helper, including for a one-way air ticket that could cost roughly HK$1,800 for an indirect flight.
Domestic helper agencies had earlier revealed up to 200 Hong Kong-bound helpers had been stranded by the eruption, including new employees and workers returning after their holidays.
The eruption of Mount Anak Krakatoa on Saturday unleashed a stream of lava and a towering plume of volcanic ash.
Eight airports suspended operations over the weekend, disrupting nearly 3,000 flights and leaving more than 340,000 passengers stranded.
Moon Yau Moon-yee, assistant general manager at Sunflower Travel Services, said the eruption had so far had a limited impact on the company’s business because Bali, the main Indonesian destination for Hong Kong holidaymakers, remained served by direct flights operating normally.
But travellers whose destination was Jakarta or who needed to transit through the capital were more seriously affected, he said.
“Although Jakarta’s airport has gradually reopened, airlines are likely to need some time to rearrange flights and clear the backlog of stranded passengers following the large number of cancellations over the previous two days,” Yau said.
“Airport operations also remain highly dependent on the weather, with wind direction, weather conditions and the latest movement of volcanic ash creating uncertainty over the coming days.”
The Hong Kong International Airport’s website showed that three of the four flights scheduled to arrive from Jakarta on Tuesday had been cancelled.
Chu said he had another client whose helper flew out just in time on Saturday before the Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport suspended flights the following day.
“By God’s grace, she changed flights in Singapore for Hong Kong, so she arrived at Hong Kong on time,” he said. “I normally choose either Singapore or Malaysia for layover, these places are less vulnerable to any natural disasters.”
Hong Kong Observatory satellite images captured the eruption with ash reaching heights of 50,000 feet (15,000 metres).
The local forecaster said volcanic ash could travel thousands of kilometres and as high as plane cruising altitudes, posing a serious threat to aviation safety. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
