Jakarta airport ash closure hits 22,000, ministry says

Indonesia suspended operations at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport outside Jakarta on Sunday after volcanic ash from Anak Krakatoa was detected in nearby airspace, the transport ministry said. More than 22,000 passengers and 209 flights were affected, especially services to and from Singapore.

The ministry said operations were halted from 1:30 a.m. local time Sunday and the closure was extended until 9:30 a.m. after a paper test showed ash in the airport area. Other affected international routes included Doha, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur.

Mount Anak Krakatoa, more than 150 kilometres from the airport, erupted on Saturday, producing a lava fountain and booming sounds that the geology agency said could be heard up to 700 kilometres away. The volcanology agency warned that two new eruptions were recorded on Sunday.

Anak Krakatoa sits in the strait between Java and Sumatra. It emerged in the caldera formed after the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, which killed an estimated 35,000 people. Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high volcanic and seismic activity.