The eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in Indonesia caused significant disruptions to air travel across the region, particularly impacting Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the second busiest airport in Southeast Asia. The volcano began erupting continuously late Friday night, producing ash that forced temporary airport closures and cancellations into Monday. Authorities suspended operations multiple times due to safety concerns related to volcanic ash, which affected hundreds of flights and left many passengers stranded.

By Sunday morning, 373 flights had been disrupted, with Soekarno-Hatta alone seeing 202 flights affected and 167 canceled. Airlines such as Singapore Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary Scoot canceled several flights between Singapore and Jakarta extending disruptions into Monday. The eruption’s ash clouds reached altitudes as high as 50,000 feet in some directions, spreading over Jakarta, surrounding regions, and even the Indian Ocean, complicating flight safety assessments for aviation authorities.

Indonesia’s meteorological and energy ministries tracked the event closely, confirming the continuous eruption lasted about 25 hours before momentarily subsiding early Sunday. Despite this pause, the volcano remains at an elevated alert level III, with ongoing volcanic activity and a 3-kilometer exclusion zone enforced around Anak Krakatau. Officials warn that the risk of renewed eruptions and related hazards such as heavy ashfall, incandescent rocks, and potential lava flows remains high.

The eruption’s impact highlights the vulnerability of critical transport infrastructure to natural disasters in the region. Soekarno-Hatta handles a monthly seat capacity of over 3.2 million, underscoring the wide economic and logistical effects of such disruptions. Authorities continue to monitor the volcano and coordinate responses to mitigate further impacts on passengers and airline operations as the situation develops.