As per the new eruption at Mount Anak Krakatau, the airspace has become disturbed with ash clouds leading to a disturbance in air traffic as nearly 170,000 passengers are affected as well as eight Indonesian airports have been temporarily closed. Eight airports have been temporarily closed because the airspace of these airports has been contaminated with ash clouds.
According to the Ministry of Transportation of Indonesia, the number of delayed and cancelled flights has been 1,558 from the eight airports that have been affected due to this natural catastrophe. Apart from this, over 900 of these eight airports have been from Jakarta’s international airport that has been temporarily closed due to ash clouds.
Mount Anak Krakatau is situated in the Sunda Strait in between Java and Sumatra. Many eruptions have been taking place from this volcano recently. Amongst these eruptions, some of them have caused ash clouds up to 50,000 feet.
Besides Soekarno-Hatta airport, some other airports including the Halim Perdanakusuma located in Jakarta, the Husein Sastranegara airport located in Bandung and the Radin Inten II airport located in Bandar Lampung have also been affected. Some temporary alternate airports have been provided at Semarang and Surabaya to divert the affected flights.
The problem of the eruption has made many passengers into a difficult situation as they have been left stranded due to cancelled or delayed flights. The airlines are being asked to provide information about the flight schedule and refund or rebooking of flights according to the requirements.
Additionally, the problem of volcanic ash has caused disruption of normal activities in Jakarta and its surroundings. People have been advised to remain indoors and use masks to protect themselves from the negative effects of ash, while some schools have opted for an online mode of education due to the problem. Some fishing activities have also been stopped due to the problem.
The problem of ash from the eruption can prove dangerous for flights as it impacts the engines of the aircraft. Therefore, it requires monitoring.
