Volcanic Ash From Anak Krakatau Grounds Flights Across Indonesia
Volcanic ash from heightened activity at Mount Anak Krakatau in the Sunda Strait caused the cancellation or rescheduling of 108 flights at Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport between the morning of Sunday, September 6, and mid-morning on Monday, September 7, 2026. Roughly 13,000 passengers were caught up in the disruption, split between approximately 4,400 arrivals and 8,700 departures.
Which Routes Were Hit Hardest
The cancellations were concentrated on connections between Bali and the Jakarta metropolitan area and Bandung. On the inbound side, 43 flights from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport were cancelled, joined by five from Halim Perdanakusuma and three from Husein Sastranegara in Bandung. Outbound, 51 departures to Soekarno-Hatta were cancelled, along with three each to Halim Perdanakusuma and Husein Sastranegara.
The disruption at Ngurah Rai was partly a knock-on effect: the ash cloud prompted authorities to close eight airports across the region, including Soekarno-Hatta, Halim Perdanakusuma, Radin Inten II, Husein Sastranegara, Budiarto, Pondok Cabe, Taufik Kiemas, and Atung Bungsu. Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation extended those closures on September 7, citing flight safety.
Ngurah Rai Stays Open, But Conditions Remain Uncertain
Despite the scale of the disruption, Ngurah Rai itself has remained operational throughout. Airport operator PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia (InJourney Airports) coordinated with airlines to update schedules and stationed staff to assist stranded passengers. Food and drinks were made available to those already in the terminal. AirNav Indonesia has been monitoring the affected airspace.
The volcanic activity behind the disruption was significant. Indonesia's Geological Agency reported that a continuous eruption beginning on September 4 lasted roughly 25 hours before ending in the early hours of September 6. Three Strombolian eruptions followed. As of September 7, Mount Anak Krakatau remained at Level III (Alert), the second-highest level on Indonesia's four-tier scale, with authorities warning that further eruptions, heavy ashfall, incandescent rock fragments, and potential lava flows remain possible if continuous eruptive activity resumes.
Passengers with flights to or from Jakarta or Bandung should confirm their flight status directly with their airline before travelling to the airport, as schedules may change at short notice.
Why It Matters for Hosts
Independent accommodation and experience operators in Bali should treat volcanic disruption events as a routine contingency rather than a rare surprise. When a major eruption grounds dozens of inbound flights, guests may arrive a day or more late, or not at all, while departing guests can be stranded for additional nights. Keeping a clear, up-to-date cancellation and rebooking policy that explicitly addresses force-majeure events such as volcanic disruption will reduce friction and protect your reputation. It is also worth maintaining a short list of airport transfer contacts and a simple communication template you can send to affected guests quickly, since timely, calm information is often what guests remember most. During active volcanic alerts, checking official updates from Indonesia's Geological Agency and the airport operator daily will give you a head start before guests start asking questions.
Details in this post were first reported by The Bali Times. This post is published by the Qontaktly travel blog.
First reported by thebalitimes.com.