Six Airports Closed After Mount Anak Krakatau Erupts
A major eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau on September 6, 2026 triggered the temporary closure of six Indonesian airports, halting air travel across a wide arc of Java and Lampung as volcanic ash spread into controlled airspace.
Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi announced the closures during an online press conference in Jakarta, citing safety data from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) as the basis for the decisions.
Which Airports Were Affected
The ministry initially suspended operations at five facilities: Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, Pondok Cabe Airport in South Tangerang, and Budiarto Airport in Curug, Tangerang.
A sixth airport, Husein Sastranegara in Bandung, was added to the closure list after field testing conducted at noon Western Indonesian Time (WIB) confirmed ash contamination at that location. The minister stated directly that the Bandung facility was declared closed to flights at 12:00 WIB on the same day.
How Decisions Were Made
The closures were not blanket precautions. Each decision followed continuous field monitoring coordinated across multiple agencies, including the BMKG, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), AirNav Indonesia, airport operators, and commercial airlines. The minister urged airlines to keep aircraft grounded for as long as atmospheric conditions remained unsafe, and the ministry committed to updating ash-movement data in real time so operators could make informed decisions.
According to Tempo, which first reported these details, the eruption also cancelled at least 209 flights at Soekarno-Hatta alone, with 22,798 passengers affected by airport closures across the network. Ferry services on the Merak-Bakauheni route, which crosses the Sunda Strait near the volcano, continued operating under close monitoring.
What Travelers Should Know
Anyone with flights into or out of Jakarta, Bandung, or Lampung on September 6 should contact their airline directly for rebooking options, as the ministry indicated normal operations would only resume once conditions were officially declared safe. Train services in and out of Bandung were reported unaffected, offering an alternative for travelers already in the region.
Ash dispersal direction depends on wind patterns at different atmospheric altitudes, meaning the affected zone could shift. Travelers and hosts should follow updates from BMKG and PVMBG rather than relying on unverified social media reports, a caution Jakarta authorities also issued publicly.
Why It Matters for Hosts
Independent accommodation operators in Bandung, Jakarta, and Lampung should prepare for a surge of stranded guests as well as last-minute cancellations from travelers who cannot reach their destination. Updating cancellation and rebooking policies clearly on all listing pages, and communicating proactively with upcoming arrivals about alternative transport options such as train services, will reduce friction and protect guest relationships during the disruption. Keeping a direct line open with guests rather than waiting for them to reach out is the most practical step an operator can take right now.
Details in this post were first reported by Tempo.co (Antara) on September 6, 2026.
First reported by en.tempo.co.