More than 200 flights canceled at Jakarta airport due to volcanic ash

More than 200 flights have been canceled at the airport in the Indonesian capital Jakarta due to a volcanic eruption. The reason for this is the presence of volcanic ash at the airport, as the aviation authority announced this morning. Volcanic ash is dangerous for aircraft - among other things because it can damage engines.

The ash came from the Anak Krakatau volcano, which forms a small volcanic island about 150 kilometers west of the airport in the Strait of Sunda. According to authorities, the latest eruption of the volcano in the strait between the islands of Sumatra and Java began on Friday.

The canceled flights also included numerous international connections, including to Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul and Amsterdam.

Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of particularly intense volcanic and seismic activity. There are around 130 active volcanoes in the Southeast Asian island nation - more than in any other country in the world.