Indonesia has reopened Jakarta’s main international airport and four others after volcanic ash from the Anak Krakatau eruption cleared enough for flights to resume, ending a two-day shutdown that disrupted nearly 3,000 services and affected more than 340,000 travelers.
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport resumed operations early Tuesday after changing winds moved ash away from the airport area. Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung and two smaller airports in Banten province also reopened, while another airport had already returned to normal operations on Monday. Two airports remained closed.
The reopening does not mean schedules will immediately return to normal. Authorities are inspecting 178 aircraft that remained at Soekarno-Hatta during the closure to confirm they are safe to fly. Runways, taxiways and other airport equipment also require checks and cleaning after possible exposure to volcanic ash.
The disruption affected 2,961 flights, including 622 international services, according to Indonesian officials. Around 341,000 passengers experienced cancellations, diversions or delays. Long queues formed at Jakarta airport as travelers searched for replacement flights, refunds and information, while some passengers turned to trains or extended hotel stays as alternatives.
Airlines are also facing significant operational and financial pressure. Indonesia’s airline association said disruptions create costs from diversions, additional fuel, aircraft parking and crew changes. A single delayed aircraft at Soekarno-Hatta can affect several later flights scheduled to use the same plane, making recovery from a large-scale shutdown a complex process.
Anak Krakatau remains active. The volcano erupted three more times on Tuesday morning, although the latest activity was smaller than the eruptions that triggered the airport closures. Indonesia’s geological authorities said further flight disruption remains possible depending on the height of future ash plumes and shifting wind direction.
The volcano remains at Level III, or Alert, on Indonesia’s four-tier warning system. Authorities continue to restrict access within three kilometers of the crater and are monitoring ash movement closely.
Anak Krakatau sits in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra and began emerging about a century ago from the volcanic system left by the catastrophic 1883 eruption of Krakatau. Indonesia has around 130 active volcanoes and lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, making volcanic disruption a recurring challenge for aviation.
For travelers, the reopening is an important step toward restoring normal service, but delays may continue as airlines reposition aircraft, complete safety inspections and work through the backlog of stranded passengers. Fresh eruptions mean conditions can change quickly, so passengers flying through Jakarta and western Indonesia may still face schedule changes even as most affected airports return to operation.
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