Indonesia's main airport resumes operations as volcanic ash disperses

JAKARTA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's main airport, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, and four other airports in the country have resumed operations after volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau dispersed, the country's transportation ministry said Tuesday.

Mount Krakatau (Krakatoa) in the Sunda Strait, in South Lampung, Lampung province, spewing smoke and volcanic ash during an eruption. (Photo: AFP)

Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said that a change in wind direction dispersed volcanic ash around Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. A total of 178 aircraft remained at the airport during the closure and still needed to undergo airworthiness inspections, meaning it may take some time for some flights to resume.

Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Infrastructure and Regional Development said in a statement Monday that the airport closures caused at least 2,961 flights to be delayed, diverted or canceled, affecting about 341,000 passengers. Eight airports across the country had been closed at one point due to the eruption.

According to Indonesia's geological authorities, Mount Anak Krakatau has been erupting since Sept. 4, with a stronger eruption recorded on Sunday. The volcano erupted three more times on Tuesday.

Mount Anak Krakatau, located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, has erupted repeatedly in recent years. Its partial collapse in 2018 triggered a tsunami that killed more than 400 people.