Anak Krakatau volcanic eruption leads to flight chaos in Indonesia

An eruption of the Anak Krakatau volcano has thrown air traffic in Indonesia into chaos: tens of thousands of people have been stranded on Java and Sumatra since the weekend. The two international airports in the capital Jakarta, including the important Soekarno-Hatta Airport, will remain closed until at least Monday evening (local time) due to the volcanic ash, the authorities announced. Air traffic in five of the island state's smaller airports has also been at a standstill since the weekend.

More than 1,500 flights and around 170,000 passengers are now affected, the Indonesian news agency Antara reported, citing Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi. The airport on the Indonesian island of Bali, which is popular with tourists from all over the world, initially remained open. The mega-metropolis Jakarta is an important hub in Southeast Asia.

“Safety is our priority,” emphasized Purwagandhi. The changing wind directions at different altitudes made it difficult to predict how long the volcanic ash would disrupt air traffic.

The Fire Mountain, which lies in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra, has been active again since Friday. The name Anak Krakatau means “child of Krakatau”. The volcano was formed after the massive eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 from its caldera - the large cauldron-shaped depression that was created when the volcano collapsed. In 1929 the new volcano rose above the surface of the sea for the first time.

The eruption of 1883 is one of the most devastating volcanic disasters of modern times, killing more than 36,000 people. The explosion was so powerful that its thunder could be heard thousands of kilometers away. It is considered the loudest sound ever recorded. A large part of what was then a volcanic island sank into the sea.

Anak Krakatau has also already triggered a deadly catastrophe: in 2018, after an eruption, part of the volcano slipped into the sea and triggered a tsunami. More than 400 people died.

After the latest eruption, the authorities want to artificially trigger rain using so-called cloud seeding. This operation aims to wash volcanic ash from the atmosphere and affected areas. Action is also being taken to combat the ash on land: in Bandar Lampung on Sumatra, the city administration had several main streets sprayed with water to reduce dust pollution for the population.

In Jakarta and parts of the hard-hit Banten province, schools have been switched to distance learning until further notice. The BNPB civil protection agency distributed, among other things, respiratory masks and dispatched emergency services to monitor the affected areas.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin called on the population to remain calm, stay indoors if possible and protect their eyes and respiratory tract with masks and goggles. Health centers are also preparing for a possible increase in respiratory illnesses.

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.