The eruption of the Anak Krakatoa volcano, located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia, led to the temporary closure of seven airports in the country. The Indonesian Ministry of Transport decided to extend the closure after volcanic activity intensified during the night, after hours of apparent calm following an initial eruption on Friday.
To date, more than 270,000 passengers and 2,300 flights have been affected, including international connections to cities such as Sydney, Doha, and Amsterdam. Among the closed airports is Soekarno-Hatta in Jakarta, one of the main air hubs in Southeast Asia, together with five airports in Java and Radin Inten in Sumatra. All these airports will remain closed until further notice.
The ash expelled by the volcano is accumulating at an altitude exceeding 15 kilometers, significantly surpassing the usual cruising altitude of commercial aircraft, which ranges between 9 and 12 kilometers. Six alternative airports in Java have been designated to maintain air connections, although their use depends on the evolution of ash conditions and airline decisions.
Anak Krakatoa emerged from the waters more than half a century after the great eruption of the original Krakatoa, whose caldera was destroyed in 1883 following a series of explosions that caused the deaths of 36,000 people.
