Five Airports Back Open, Backlog Remains Severe
Five airports serving Jakarta and the surrounding Java region resumed operations on the morning of September 8, 2026, following one of the most disruptive volcanic ash events in recent Indonesian aviation history. The reopenings came after Mount Anak Krakatau, located roughly 150 kilometres from the capital, erupted on September 5, sending lava and a dense ash plume across a wide swath of airspace.
At its peak, eight airports suspended flights entirely. According to Indonesia's Transport Ministry, nearly 3,000 flights were disrupted and more than 340,000 passengers were left stranded over the course of the crisis, as first reported by The Straits Times.
Which Airports Are Open Again
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta's primary gateway, confirmed its resumption of flight operations in a statement posted to its official Instagram account. Alongside it, the Transport Ministry confirmed four additional airports had reopened:
- Halim Perdanakusuma, a smaller Jakarta-area airport serving both civil and military traffic
- Hussein Sastranegara in Bandung, the West Java provincial capital
- One small airport in south Sumatra
- One additional airport in the broader Java region
Two of the original eight airports remained closed as of the morning of September 8. Even at the airports that had reopened, disruption continued: Soekarno-Hatta alone reported more than 240 flights cancelled or delayed on the morning of September 7, affecting close to 30,000 passengers in a single day.
The Backlog Challenge Airlines Now Face
Reopening runways is only the first step. Airlines must now work through a substantial queue of stranded passengers, many of whom have been waiting at terminals for multiple days. During the closure period, the Transport Ministry had designated six alternative airports to absorb aircraft originally bound for Jakarta, adding further complexity to the rerouting puzzle that carriers must now unwind.
Travelers with upcoming itineraries through Jakarta, Bandung, or other Java-area airports should check directly with their airline before heading to any terminal, as schedules remain in flux.
About Anak Krakatau
Anak Krakatau, whose name translates as "Child of Krakatau," sits in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra. The volcano emerged from the sea in the early twentieth century, rising from the caldera left by the catastrophic 1883 eruption of the original Mount Krakatau. It has been sporadically active ever since. A 2018 event is particularly significant in the region's memory: a partial collapse of the volcano's flank triggered a tsunami that killed 429 people and displaced thousands more. The current eruption has so far caused no comparable structural event, though authorities continue to monitor activity.
Why It Matters for Hosts
Independent accommodation operators in Jakarta, Bandung, and other Java destinations should treat volcanic disruption as a recurring operational reality, not a one-off crisis. Practically, that means having a clear, written policy for guests who arrive late or cannot arrive at all due to flight cancellations, and communicating that policy proactively at the time of booking. Keeping a direct line open with guests during active disruption periods, rather than waiting for them to reach out, builds the kind of trust that generates repeat bookings and positive reviews even when circumstances go wrong. Operators near Soekarno-Hatta might also consider listing the nearest alternative airports in their guest communications so travelers know their options if Jakarta remains inaccessible.
Details in this post were first reported by The Straits Times on September 8, 2026. This article is published by the Qontaktly travel blog.
First reported by straitstimes.com.