Indonesia volcano eruption cancels hundreds of flights in major airport hub
A volcano eruption in Indonesia on Sunday has forced the cancellation of all flights at the capital city's airport as volcanic ash drifted across the western parts of the country.
No casualties were reported and no evacuation orders were issued as the nearest settlement is more than 10 miles away, but authorities warned people to stay at least 2 miles clear of the crater.
Footage filmed from a fishing boat at sea showed lava shooting up from the volcano into the air.
Indonesia's Geological Agency said the volcanic island located in Indonesia's Sunda Strait between the main Java and Sumatra islands had showed signs of activity since Friday before erupting for 30 seconds in the early hours of Sunday.
Volcanic ash spread across parts of Jakarta and Lampung province on Sumatra's southern tip, Indonesia's Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.
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 local time in Jakarta, the closure had affected 516 flight movements, with 202 in Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta airport alone that affected about 22,800 passengers, on Sunday.
"Safety remains our top priority in every operational decision," Lukman F. Laisa, Ministry of Transportation director general of civil aviation, said in a statement.
He warned flight schedules could face cascading disruptions affecting aircraft rotations, fleet availability and terminal capacity as airlines work to restore operations.
The name of the volcano Anak Krakatau, means "child of Krakatau," which is the offspring of the famous Krakatau, whose monumental 1883 eruption triggered a period of global cooling.
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.
