JAKARTA: Eight Indonesian airports, including two serving Jakarta, remained closed early on Monday (Sep 7) morning because of volcanic ash from eruptions of Mount Anak Krakatau, the transport minister said.
Ash from Anak Krakatau, which sits halfway between Java and Sumatra islands, has blanketed Jakarta and several surrounding areas since it erupted late on Friday, leading to the closure of the airports for safety reasons.
The transport ministry said 170,000 people have been affected by flight cancellations.
“We cannot ascertain when this will end due to the dynamic weather,” Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said in a statement on Monday, adding that the eight airports, which included the ones serving Jakarta’s nearby provinces of Lampung and West Java, would remain closed until at least 8.59am (9.59am, Singapore time).
Singapore Airlines is among the airlines affected, announcing that it has cancelled flights to and from Jakarta because of the volcano eruption, with nine flights affected on Monday.
The volcano monitoring agency’s website showed the most recent Anak Krakatau eruption occurred Sunday at 8.23pm.
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