Jakarta's Airports Back Open After Anak Krakatau Forces Two-Day Shutdown
Flights through Jakarta resumed in the early hours of Tuesday, September 8, 2026, ending a two-day disruption that grounded nearly 3,000 services and left around 341,000 passengers stranded or scrambling to rebook. The culprit was Anak Krakatau, the active volcanic island sitting in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, which erupted on Sunday with lava fountains and audible booms before its continuous eruptive phase ended later that day.
Which Airports Were Affected
At its peak, the ash cloud forced the closure of six airports across western Indonesia. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Halim Perdanakusuma Airport, both serving Jakarta, reopened just after midnight Tuesday alongside Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung and two smaller airports in Banten province. Three airports, including Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung on Sumatra's southern tip, remained closed until 10 a.m. Tuesday. Atung Bungsu Airport in Pagar Alam, South Sumatra, had already returned to normal operations on Monday morning.
The disruption touched 622 international flights among the nearly 2,961 total services affected, according to figures reported by the Associated Press.
A Cautious Reopening
Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi explained the phased approach in a statement, noting that wind direction remained highly dynamic and that authorities wanted to confirm volcanic ash had fully cleared the airspace around Anak Krakatau before resuming full operations. Even at airports where surface tests showed no ash traces, the extended closure gave ground crews time to inspect and clean runways, taxiways, and any aircraft that may have been exposed. The volcanic island itself remained active as of Tuesday morning, still sitting at Indonesia's second-highest alert level, a status it had held since July. Authorities continued to advise residents, tourists, and fishermen to stay at least 3 kilometers from the active crater.
As an additional precaution, the government authorized schools in ash-affected areas to shift temporarily to online learning.
Context: A Volcano With a Dangerous History
Anak Krakatau, whose name translates as "child of Krakatau," is the successor to the volcano behind the catastrophic 1883 eruption that triggered global cooling. The island itself has its own sobering record: a 2018 eruption caused a tsunami that killed at least 430 people across Sumatra and Java when volcanic activity is believed to have triggered an underwater landslide, collapsing a large section of the volcano's southwest slope into the sea. Indonesia as a whole hosts more than 120 active volcanoes, a consequence of its position along the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Why It Matters for Hosts
For independent accommodation operators in Jakarta, Bandung, Banten, and Lampung, this event is a practical reminder that volcanic disruptions can materialize quickly and last multiple days without warning. Guests arriving by air may face sudden cancellations, and guests already in-house may be unable to depart on schedule. Having a clear, written policy on extended stays, a direct line to guests before they travel, and a simple protocol for rebooking assistance will reduce stress on both sides. Operators near Sunda Strait destinations should also consider keeping guests informed about Anak Krakatau's alert level during active periods, since the volcano's status has been elevated since at least July 2026.
Details in this post were first reported by the Associated Press.
First reported by apnews.com.