Five airports in city temporarily closed after Mount Anak Krakatau eruption
PETALING JAYA: Airlines across the region have cancelled flights to and from Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport following a volcanic eruption from Mount Anak Krakatau.
Malaysia Airlines cancelled 12 flights there yesterday following the eruption and ash activity.
“Given the evolving situation, Malaysia Airlines is closely monitoring the development.
“Further updates on affected flights will be updated and communicated directly to affected customers.
“Passengers are reminded to ensure that their contact details are up to date via ‘My Booking’ on the Malaysia Airlines website to receive timely updates via email and SMS,” it said in a statement.
Batik Air has also cancelled eight scheduled flights between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.
It said the flights were cancelled as a precautionary measure following continued volcanic activity at Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra.
“The proactive step follows close coordination with aviation authorities and airport operators with passenger and crew safety remaining a top priority,” it said.
Among the scheduled flights that have been cancelled were OD398, OD399, OD346, OD347, OD388, OD389, OD390 and OD391.
Singapore Airlines (SIA) flights were also among those affected, with 19 flights being cancelled.
This included two flights which had been earlier retimed.
Scoot, SIA’s budget arm, also cancelled an additional 12 flights, according to its website at noon yesterday.
SIA said on its advisory the situation was still fluid and that additional flights might be affected as well.
Four additional airports in Indonesia were also temporarily closed, further disrupting flight operations, Bernama reported.
Indonesia’s Transport Ministry Civil Aviation director-general Lukman F. Laisa said the additional closures involved Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, Raden Inten II Airport in Lampung, Budiarto Airport in Curug and Pondok Cabe Airfield.
“Five airports have been closed. We will continue to monitor the movement of the ash,” he said during an online press conference.
He said the ministry was coordinating with airport operators, AirNav Indonesia and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency on developments in the volcanic ash movement.
Anak Krakatau has remained at Level III (alert) since July 2, the second-highest level in Indonesia’s four-tier volcano alert system, with a 3km exclusion zone in place around the volcano.
The agency said satellite analysis at 8am yesterday identified two clusters of volcanic ash covering Banten, Jakarta and West Java and extending to Bengkulu, while its latest aviation warning showed ash reaching up to 6,096m, moving east and up to 15,240m moving west.
Its director of earthquakes and tsunamis Dr Wilya Yanto said continuous eruptive activity, including repeated ejections of lava, was still being observed although the frequency had reduced.
