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Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport has canceled and rescheduled dozens of flights on Sunday, September 6, 2026, after ash from Indonesia’s erupting Anak Krakatau volcano drifted across key air corridors linking the resort island with Jakarta and other domestic hubs.
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Flight cancellations grow through the day at Ngurah Rai
Airport data and local media reports indicate that flight disruptions at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport escalated through Sunday as conditions around the Anak Krakatau ash cloud evolved. An early tally from the airport showed more than a dozen flights canceled or rescheduled on routes to and from Jakarta, with both arrivals and departures affected.
Coverage from Indonesian news outlets later in the day cited updated airport figures showing 42 flights disrupted by mid afternoon, including cancellations and schedule changes on busy domestic routes. The majority of affected services linked Bali with Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta International Airport, which itself has suspended operations amid the spreading ash cloud.
Carriers impacted at Bali include Indonesian low cost and regional airlines operating between Jakarta and Denpasar. Publicly available flight information highlighted multiple TransNusa and Indonesia AirAsia services on the CGK DPS corridor among those canceled or retimed as operators recalibrated schedules around the evolving airspace restrictions.
Despite the growing list of affected flights, information published by Bali’s airport operator describes overall airport operations as otherwise running normally, with terminals open and ground services continuing for flights that remain within safe operating parameters.
Anak Krakatau eruption triggers wider airspace disruption
The disruption in Bali is part of a wider network impact across western Indonesia following a fresh eruption of Anak Krakatau, the active volcano in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. According to international and regional aviation coverage, Anak Krakatau began a new eruptive phase on Saturday, sending fountains of lava and volcanic ash high into the atmosphere.
Volcanic ash was subsequently detected over the Jakarta region, leading Soekarno Hatta International Airport to suspend all flight operations early Sunday. Reports from aviation and general news outlets note that operations at Indonesia’s main international gateway were halted for several hours, with hundreds of flights disrupted and tens of thousands of passengers affected.
International analysis points out that at least 16 domestic flights between Jakarta and Bali were among those canceled as a direct result of the Jakarta shutdown. This in turn compounded the local disruptions at Ngurah Rai, where earlier cancellations and retimings had already been introduced in response to airspace assessments related to the ash cloud.
The situation illustrates how a major volcanic event in Indonesia can quickly ripple across a wider flight network. Even though Anak Krakatau is located more than 150 kilometers from Jakarta and far from Bali’s shores, the trajectory and density of its ash plume have temporarily constrained some of the country’s busiest air routes.
Impact on travelers headed to and from Bali
For travelers, the combined effect of route specific adjustments at Bali and the broader shutdown at Soekarno Hatta has translated into delays, missed connections, and last minute changes to travel plans. Images and video from regional outlets show passengers queuing at check in counters and information desks in Bali as they seek alternative options or revised itineraries.
Publicly available guidance from Indonesian airport and aviation authorities advises passengers to check flight status directly with their airlines before leaving for the airport. Airlines are updating schedules in stages as ash concentration data and airport operating windows are revised, meaning that departure boards can change at relatively short notice.
Some Bali bound travelers connecting via Jakarta or other domestic hubs have been asked to consider rerouting or postponing trips until operations at Soekarno Hatta fully stabilize. Others already on the island and planning to depart today have been shifted onto later flights or rebooked on different carriers where seats are available.
Meanwhile, tourism businesses in Bali are monitoring the situation but early commentary in local travel and hospitality coverage suggests that the immediate impact is concentrated on air connectivity rather than on resort operations on the ground. Hotels and tour operators are working within existing contingency plans that have been refined through previous episodes of volcanic related disruption in Indonesia.
Safety first as aviation sector monitors ash cloud
Volcanic ash presents a well documented risk to jet engines and aircraft systems, which is why even relatively distant eruptions can lead to rapid route suspensions once ash is detected along flight paths. Aviation monitoring services and Indonesia’s geology agency are tracking the Anak Krakatau plume, using satellite imagery, on the ground observations, and in some cases paper and filter tests at airports to check for ash particles.
Air navigation providers and airport operators use this information to determine whether specific airspace sectors remain safe for operations. In the current event, publicly released information from government and aviation bodies shows that test results around Jakarta confirmed the presence of ash in the airport environment, triggering the temporary closure there and knock on effects on domestic links to Bali.
At Ngurah Rai, Indonesian aviation sources describe continuous coordination between the airport operator, air traffic control, and airlines as they evaluate each departure and arrival in relation to the ash forecast. While this leads to cancellations and retimings, the measures are intended to keep flights operating only in air corridors where ash concentrations are assessed as safe.
Historically, Bali and other parts of Indonesia have experienced similar travel disruptions tied to eruptions at volcanoes including Mount Agung and Mount Lewotobi. Aviation analysts note that contingency protocols drawn from those episodes including passenger handling, aircraft repositioning, and rapid updates to schedules are now being applied again as the Anak Krakatau situation unfolds.
What travelers should do next
With conditions and airspace assessments still evolving, travelers booked to fly to or from Bali in the coming hours are being urged through public information channels to stay flexible and informed. Airlines serving Bali are posting status updates on their websites and social media feeds, while flight tracking platforms show live changes to departure and arrival times.
Travelers currently on Bali who hold tickets for flights affected by cancellations are being directed to airline customer service counters or digital channels to discuss rebooking, refunds, or alternative routings. Those with onward international connections via Jakarta or other hubs may need to allow additional time or consider revised itineraries until operational constraints at Soekarno Hatta ease.
Future visitors planning trips to Bali over the next several days are being advised by travel industry updates to monitor advisories from Indonesian aviation authorities, their airlines, and national foreign travel advisories. At present, reports focus on air transport logistics rather than any immediate impact on day to day activities on the island, but conditions at altitude around the ash plume may continue to influence schedules in the short term.
Given Indonesia’s location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, travel experts often recommend that visitors build some flexibility into itineraries, including allowing buffer time for potential disruptions when transiting through key gateways such as Jakarta. The current Anak Krakatau eruption highlights how rapidly operational decisions can change in response to ash studies, even when skies at ground level appear largely unaffected.
Antara News coverage of Bali flight cancellations