Six Indonesian Airports Closed as Anak Krakatau Disrupts Flights

Indonesia has temporarily closed six airports and curtailed operations at several others after an eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau sent volcanic ash across busy air corridors, disrupting flights for tens of thousands of passengers across western Indonesia.

Airports Shut as Ash Cloud Spreads Across Western Indonesia

Publicly available information from Indonesia’s Transport Ministry indicates that six airports were initially ordered closed on Sunday, 6 September 2026, after Anak Krakatau’s ash cloud spread over the Sunda Strait region and into key aviation routes around Jakarta and Sumatra. The measures affected both domestic and international services, including flights at Jakarta’s secondary Halim Perdanakusuma Airport and Husein Sastranegara Airport serving Bandung in West Java.

According to English-language reports from Antara News, the temporary suspensions covered Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung and several smaller regional airports along the ash path, in addition to facilities in the Greater Jakarta and West Java areas. The closures were triggered after aviation advisories showed volcanic ash at flight levels used by commercial jets, prompting airspace restrictions and airport shutdowns for safety reasons.

Data compiled by international media and aviation trackers suggests that the eruption and subsequent closures have led to hundreds of flight cancellations since Saturday night, with ripple effects spreading to airports elsewhere in Southeast Asia as airlines adjusted routes and aircraft rotations. Some operations resumed as ash concentrations shifted, but authorities in Indonesia continued to warn of rapidly changing conditions over the affected airspace.

Jakarta’s Main Gateway Faces Rolling Disruptions

Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the country’s main aviation hub and one of Southeast Asia’s busiest gateways, has experienced significant disruption since the eruption intensified. On Sunday, reports from international wire services and Indonesian outlets documented a full suspension of flights at the airport for several hours as ash drifted into approach and departure paths, forcing diversions and ground delays.

Updates published by Indonesia’s AirNav and the Transport Ministry show that operations at Soekarno-Hatta have been managed under a series of rolling notices to air missions, with closures and limited reopenings tied to real-time monitoring of ash distribution. While some flights have been able to depart and arrive during windows of improved conditions, travelers have been advised to expect last-minute timetable changes and extended ground holds.

Additional coverage from international news organizations notes that terminal departure boards in Jakarta have displayed waves of cancellations and delays, with long queues at airline service counters as passengers seek rebooking options. The disruption at Soekarno-Hatta has also affected connecting traffic across Indonesia’s vast archipelago, as aircraft and crews become out of position for subsequent legs.

Thousands of Travelers Stranded as Airlines Re-route

Early estimates from global and Indonesian media indicate that well over 150,000 passengers have been affected across multiple airports since Anak Krakatau’s latest eruptive phase disrupted flight operations. Published coverage describes travelers stranded at Jakarta and regional airports, as well as in overseas hubs where flights bound for western Indonesia were delayed, diverted, or canceled because of ash-related constraints.

Airlines serving Indonesia have been reallocating aircraft and adjusting schedules to cope with the closures, using unaffected airports as temporary alternatives where possible. Publicly available information from Indonesia’s Transport Ministry notes that several alternative airports were prepared to handle diverted traffic while primary hubs remained restricted, although capacity limits and crew duty-time regulations have kept recovery gradual.

Travel industry reports suggest that passengers holding tickets for flights into or out of Jakarta, Sumatra, and West Java over the coming days are being offered fee waivers or free rebooking in many cases. However, the scale of the disruption and the evolving nature of the ash plume mean that firm timelines for full schedule normalization remain uncertain.

Eruption Timeline and Ongoing Volcanic Activity

Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, entered an elevated phase of activity earlier in 2026, with Indonesia’s Geological Agency reporting a sustained increase in seismicity and gas emissions during July and August. Over the weekend of 5 to 6 September 2026, the volcano produced an ash-rich eruption that some scientific updates described as lasting around a full day, generating lava fountains and a plume high enough to intrude into regional flight levels.

Bulletins from Indonesia’s disaster management agency and the geological service state that the current eruption builds on months of intermittent activity at Anak Krakatau, which emerged in the early 20th century from the caldera left by the catastrophic 1883 Krakatau event. As of Monday, 7 September 2026, official monitoring data indicates that eruptive intensity has eased but that ash remains present in the atmosphere over parts of western Indonesia at multiple altitudes.

Specialist volcanic ash advisories continue to be issued to the aviation sector, providing guidance on plume height, direction, and dispersion. These products, combined with satellite imagery and meteorological modeling, are informing decisions on when closed airspace can safely reopen and under what conditions aircraft can transit the region.

What Travelers Should Watch in the Coming Days

Travelers planning to fly into or through Indonesia over the next several days are encouraged by aviation and travel industry advisories to monitor airline notifications closely and check airport websites for updated information. Because volcanic ash can shift quickly with changing winds, flight schedules may remain fluid even if the underlying volcanic activity continues to decline.

Public communications from Indonesia’s Transport Ministry emphasize that the reopening of affected airports will be guided by safety assessments based on ash concentration, visibility, and aircraft performance considerations. International and domestic carriers are expected to progressively restore services once airspace restrictions are lifted, though some routes and frequencies may be adjusted temporarily while fleets and crews are repositioned.

Analysts following the disruption note that Anak Krakatau’s latest eruption underlines how volcanic hazards can affect aviation far beyond the immediate vicinity of a volcano, especially in archipelagic nations where air travel is central to connectivity. For now, western Indonesia’s travelers face continued uncertainty, but easing volcanic activity offers cautious optimism that the worst of the ash-related closures may gradually pass if conditions continue to improve.

Antara News: Indonesia suspends six airports amid Anak Krakatau ash spreads

AP News: Indonesia keeps several airports closed though volcanic eruption is easing

ITV News: Hundreds of flights cancelled after Indonesian volcano erupts

The Guardian: Volcano eruption in Indonesia leaves travellers stranded