A volcanic eruption has disrupted hundreds of flights and forced the closure of major airports, and Brits have been issued travel advice.
Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano erupted early on Sunday (September 6), sending ash clouds high into the atmosphere and grounding flights at several airports, including Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
The eruption of Mount Krakatau began at 3.53am and lasted for 30 seconds, according to Indonesia’s Geological Agency.
CCTV footage showed lava flares from the volcano.
ADVISORY ON SINGAPORE AIRLINES FLIGHTS IMPACTED BY THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT ANAK KRAKATAU
Due to volcanic activity caused by the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in Indonesia, the following Singapore Airlines flights have been cancelled:
• SQ950 departing Singapore for Jakarta on…— Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) September 6, 2026
No casualties were reported and no evacuation order was issued.
The nearest settlement is more than 16 kilometres (10 miles) away, but authorities warned residents and visitors to stay at least three kilometres (2 miles) from the active crater.
Volcanic ash spread across parts of Jakarta and Lampung province on Sumatra’s southern tip, Indonesia’s centre for volcanology and geological hazard mitigation said.
Flights cancelled as airports in Indonesia close due to volcanic eruption
AirNav Indonesia closed airspace around Soekarno-Hatta and Halim Perdanakusuma airports in Jakarta, as well as four other airports, including Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung, because of volcanic ash.
By mid-afternoon, the closure had affected 516 flight movements, including 202 in Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport, affecting about 22,800 passengers on Sunday.
The airport was ordered to be closed until at least 5.30pm.
Services at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and at Medan were also disrupted due to the volcano.
Indonesia’s directorate general of civil aviation said it was closely monitoring the eruption’s impact on air travel and co-ordinating with airlines, airport operators, air navigation services and the meteorology agency.
“Safety remains our top priority in every operational decision,” Lukman F Laisa, ministry of transportation director general of civil aviation, said in a statement.
Your rights if your flight is cancelled or delayed
He warned flight schedules could face cascading disruptions affecting aircraft rotations, fleet availability and terminal capacity as airlines work to restore operations.
Indonesia’s volcanology agency and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre identified two ash clouds using satellite imagery.
One plume rose to 20,000 feet (6,100 meters) and moved northeast over Jakarta, Banten, West Java and nearby waters.
A second cloud reached much higher (50,000 feet/15,200 meters) and spread over parts of Banten, Lampung and Bengkulu provinces, the southern Sunda Strait and sections of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.
Warning issued to Brits travelling to Indonesia
The UK government has warned Brits about the dangers of travelling to some areas of Indonesia.
It said: “If you are due to travel, check with your airline or travel provider for up to date information on your flight status.”
Brits are advised to avoid all travel to the following volcanoes in Indonesia:
- Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province - to within 7km of the crater
- Mount Sinabung, Karo Regency, North Sumatra - to within 5km of the crater
- Mount Marapi, West Sumatra - to within 3km of the crater
- Mount Semeru, Lumajang Regency, East Java - to within 5km of the crater and in the south-east of Mount Semura to within 500m from any riverbank of the Besuk Kobokan river for 13km from the crater
- Mount Ruang, Northern Sulawesi - to within 7km of the crater
- Mount Ibu, North Maluku Province - to within 7km of the crater
Will a bigger eruption of Anak Krakatau occur?
Lana Saria, head of Indonesia’s geological agency, said activity at Anak Krakatau has intensified since July, with Sunday’s eruption the strongest during the current period of unrest.
The repeated eruptions indicate a continued supply of magma and volcanic gases beneath the volcano, she said, though officials cannot predict whether a larger eruption will occur.
“We continue to evaluate the volcano’s development based on all monitoring data, not solely on the number of eruptions or the height of the ash column,” Ms Saria said in a video briefing.
She added that the main hazards include:
- Volcanic ash
- High concentrations of gas
- The ejection of hot rocks and other material around the crater area
Anak Krakatau, which means “child of Krakatau”, is the offspring of the famous Krakatau, the monumental 1883 eruption of which triggered a period of global cooling.
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The eruption caused a tsunami in 2018 that killed at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java.
Researchers believe volcanic activity triggered an underwater landslide and caused a large chunk of Anak Krakatau’s southwest slope to collapse and displace a large volume of water.
Scientists said Anak Krakatau island was only about a quarter of its original size after that eruption.
Has the flight disruption due to the volcanic eruption affected you? Let us know in the comments below.
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