Anak Krakatau Eruption Forces Closure of Jakarta's Main Airport, Four Others

Mount Anak Krakatau, a volcanic island between Java and Sumatra, began a major eruption on the night of September 5, 2026, according to Al Jazeera. The eruption sent volcanic ash into the air corridors above western Java, prompting aviation authorities to ground flights for safety reasons.

Which airports closed

Indonesian outlets CNN Indonesia and Kumparan report that four airports operated by state company Angkasa Pura Indonesia were shut: Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (Soetta) in the Jakarta area, Halim Perdanakusuma in Jakarta, Tanjung Karang in Lampung province (which closed first), and Husein Sastranegara in Bandung. Al Jazeera reported that at least five airports nationwide were closed in total, with more than 2,900 flights affected.

Soekarno-Hatta's shutdown began on September 6, 2026, according to Kumparan. Agus Hariyadi, Angkasa Pura's Director of Operations, told CNN Indonesia that warning signs emerged the previous afternoon, September 5, when Pelita Air's Director of Safety, Eriza Muslim, raised concerns about ash drifting toward Jakarta and the airline pressed for a closure decision.

Financial and passenger impact

Angkasa Pura reported that the two-day closure cost the company about 40 billion rupiah in losses, according to CNBC Indonesia and Kumparan. Agus Hariyadi said this was the first time Soekarno-Hatta had closed completely in his 35 years at the airport, noting that even the COVID-19 pandemic did not force a full shutdown.

Angkasa Pura arranged buses to alternative Java airports in Solo, Yogyakarta and Surabaya and provided accommodation and provisions for passengers stranded at closed terminals, Kumparan reported.

How the closure unfolded

According to CNN Indonesia, coordination between Pelita Air and the Directorate General of Air Transportation took place by phone and WhatsApp on the afternoon of September 5 as officials assessed data indicating ash was spreading toward Jakarta's air corridor. Agus Hariyadi said the airline repeatedly pushed for a shutdown starting that afternoon.

Al Jazeera reported that Anak Krakatau produced at least three further eruptions on the morning of September 8, before winds cleared ash away from the airports and allowed Soekarno-Hatta and the other four closed airports to reopen that day. Indonesian Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said authorities would inspect aircraft before resuming flights, telling the public, in his words as quoted by Al Jazeera, to show patience while inspections confirmed planes were 'fit to fly.'

CNBC Indonesia and Kumparan reported Angkasa Pura's financial-loss figures without giving a comprehensive national count of cancelled flights; Al Jazeera's figure of roughly 2,900 affected flights includes delays and reroutes alongside outright cancellations.

Background: why volcanic ash grounds flights

Volcanic ash contains fine silicate particles that can damage jet engines and abrade aircraft windows, which is why aviation authorities routinely close airspace or airports when ash clouds approach flight paths. Anak Krakatau sits in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra and formed from the remnants of the 1883 Krakatoa eruption. Al Jazeera noted that a 2018 eruption of the same volcano triggered a tsunami that killed more than 400 people, though that earlier disaster involved a flank collapse rather than an airport shutdown.

Lana Saria, head of Indonesia's national Geology Agency, told Al Jazeera that the September 2026 activity's impact was smaller than previous eruptions and that authorities would continue monitoring the volcano.