Indonesia volcano eruption leaves 270,000 stranded as airports extend closure
A volcanic eruption at Anak Krakatau in Indonesia has forced the closure of major airports, leaving over 340,000 passengers stranded. Authorities are managing the crisis as volcanic ash continues to disrupt regional airspace.
Why it matters
Natural disasters like volcanic eruptions demonstrate the vulnerability of global travel infrastructure to environmental events.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Kelly Ng Watch: Lava fountain and ash cloud as Indonesia volcano erupts More than 340,000 passengers have been left stranded across Indonesia after a volcanic eruption disrupted nearly 3,000 flights and forced airports to suspend operations for a second day.
Anak Krakatau, located 150km (90mi) from Jakarta, began erupting late on Friday, producing lava fountains and sending volcanic ash into the capital and the Lampung province. It stayed seismically active throughout the weekend.
Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International airport decided not to reopen at 18:00 (11:00 GMT) as planned due to the continued presence of volcanic ash near its airspace.
Flights will instead resume at 23:59 on Monday, the airport has said in a statement.
Halim Perdanakusuma, a smaller airport that caters to civil and military flights, will also remain closed until then.
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