Airports still closed, thousands stranded due to volcanic ash

Volcanic ash spewing from Mount Anak Krakatau continues to impact air travel, with some Indonesian airports still closed and 270,000 travellers impacted.

The continuous, 25-hour eruption of Anak Krakatau that produced a fountain of lava and a boom heard 700 kilometres away ended on Sunday, the country’s Geological Agency said.

But it remained active throughout Monday, triggering the shutdown of eight airports due to safety reasons.

The Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the capital Jakarta was among them, but a Ministry Transport update on social media posted on Tuesday (AEST) wrote it was among five others that are back in operation.

Jakarta's main airport wrote on Instagram that "following the current volcanic eruption activity of Mount Anak Krakatau, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has resumed flight operations". 

Earlier, the airport closures had been repeatedly extended.

Read more

Father leaves son, aged 7, alone on Mt Fuji for hours

Officials said airport operators and airlines needed to inspect and clean runways, taxiways, aprons and aircraft that may have been exposed to volcanic ash.

Authorities and airlines now face a daunting task of ensuring travellers reach their destinations.

The Indonesian transport ministry reported 370,000 passengers had been affected but this was later revised to 270,000.

The level of disruption at Bali airport – the Indonesian holiday island visited by thousands of Australians – remains unclear.

Local media on Monday reported 108 flights to and from Bali, largely to Indonesian destinations, had been impacted, with 13,000 travellers affected.

Bali airport has been contacted by nine.com.au for comment.

Anak Krakatau is a volcanic island in the Sunda Strait between Indonesia’s main islands of Java and Sumatra.

Its name means “child of Krakatau”, and the volcano is the offspring of the infamous Krakatau, whose monumental 1883 eruption triggered a period of global cooling.

An eruption of Anak Krakatau in 2018 caused a tsunami that killed at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java.

–with Associated Press