Jakarta airports reopen after Anak Krakatau eruption grounds nearly 3,000 flights

Indonesia reopened its main Jakarta airports early on Tuesday after ash from Mount Anak Krakatau forced eight airports to close and disrupted nearly 3,000 flights. By Monday, 2,961 flights were hit by cancellations, delays or diversions and about 341,000 passengers were impacted, Chief Infrastructure Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono said (https://www.moneycontrol.com/world/indonesia-reopens-jakarta-airport-4-others-after-anak-krakatau-eruption-article-14024702.html).

Soekarno-Hatta International, Halim Perdanakusuma and Husein Sastranegara resumed at 12:01 a.m.; Budiarto Curug and Pondok Cabe reopened at 2:25 a.m. Atung Bungsu had resumed on Monday; Radin Inten II and Muhammad Taufiq Kiemas stayed closed. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said flights would resume gradually after aircraft inspections; around 178 aircraft were at Soekarno-Hatta and three flights departed shortly after reopening (https://rtvonline.com/english/international/276437).

Anak Krakatau, in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, showed activity from Friday before erupting for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. on Sunday and again for 16 seconds about three hours later, the Geological Agency said (https://cdn-ssl.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16868517). It erupted at least three more times on Tuesday morning, agency head Lana Saria said (https://rtvonline.com/english/international/276437). Ash reached 20,000 feet over Java and 50,000 feet towards Sumatra, the volcanology agency and Darwin VAAC said.

No casualties were reported and no evacuation was ordered; a 3 km exclusion zone holds and there is no tsunami warning (https://cdn-ssl.asahi.com/ajw/articles/16868517). Disaster agency BNPB is preparing weather modification, potentially including cloud seeding, to wash ash away, its head Suharyanto said (https://oananews.org/index.php/node/712565). Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin urged residents to stay indoors and wear masks against ash risks to lungs, eyes and skin (https://jawawa.id/newsitem/health-minister-reveals-three-dangers-of-anak-krakatau-ash-avoid-leaving-home-if-possible-1788681474).