Thai airlines have cancelled or warned of possible disruptions to flights to Jakarta following the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau in Indonesia, which has forced the temporary closure of the main airport in the Indonesian capital.
Thai Airways International (THAI) cancelled four Bangkok-Jakarta flights on Sunday (September 6) following the eruption.
The cancelled flights were:
TG433, Bangkok-Jakarta, scheduled to depart at 8am and arrive at 11.35am.
TG434, Jakarta-Bangkok, scheduled to depart at 12.35pm and arrive at 4.05pm.
TG435, Bangkok-Jakarta, scheduled to depart at 2.20pm and arrive at 5.55pm.
TG436, Jakarta-Bangkok, scheduled to depart at 7pm and arrive at 10.30pm.
In a statement, THAI said affected passengers had been notified and advised travellers to check their flight status via the airline’s mobile application and website or contact its call centres for further information and assistance.
Meanwhile Thai Lion Air also warned that its Bangkok (Don Mueang)-Jakarta service could be affected by the temporary suspension of operations at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
The affected services are SL116 from Bangkok to Jakarta on September 6 and SL117 from Jakarta to Bangkok on September 7.
The airline said the flights could be delayed, rescheduled or cancelled depending on the situation and weather conditions, and urged passengers to check their flight status before travelling.
AirAsia also said flights to and from Jakarta had been cancelled or rescheduled following the airport closure.
According to AFP, about 170,000 passengers were stranded on Sunday after Indonesia closed its main international airport and seven others, resulting in hundreds of flight cancellations after Mount Anak Krakatau spewed volcanic ash and lava.
Mount Anak Krakatau erupted on Saturday, producing a fountain of lava and booming sounds that could be heard several hundred kilometres away, according to Indonesia’s geology agency. Two further eruptions were recorded on Sunday.
Volcanic ash was detected in the airspace around Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, prompting authorities to suspend operations.
The suspension was extended until 8.59am on Monday due to increased eruptive activity at Anak Krakatau.
Operations at seven other airports were also suspended, including Husein Sastranegara Airport in Bandung and Radin Inten II Airport near Bandar Lampung on Sumatra.
The Indonesian Transport Ministry said 1,558 flights had been delayed at the eight affected airports, with about 170,000 passengers stranded. More than 900 of the affected flights were to or from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Several airports, including those in Semarang and Surabaya, were prepared as alternative landing sites, Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said.
The disruption left passengers scrambling to find alternative flights.
Henny Yensan, 44, who had planned to return to her hometown with her mother, told AFP that everyone was disappointed after her flight was cancelled. She had rescheduled her flight for Tuesday.
Samuel Guiberteau, a Danone executive who had been on a business trip to Lombok since Friday, told AFP he was searching for an alternative flight back to Jakarta.
He said he had found another flight operated by Citilink, but it was also cancelled, leaving him with no choice but to remain in Lombok.
Volcanic ash also reached Bandar Lampung at the southern tip of Sumatra, covering parked cars and roadsides.
Schools across Jakarta will be closed on Monday, with classes moving online, the city administration said.
Hazard warning
Anak Krakatau, meaning “Child of Krakatoa”, sits in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra.
Ships passing through the strait have been advised to exercise greater caution because volcanic activity could disrupt navigation.
Vessels are prohibited from entering a three-kilometre exclusion zone around the volcano, according to local port authorities.
The volcano has been sporadically active since it emerged from the sea early last century in the caldera formed by the massive 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa.
That eruption was one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic disasters in history, killing an estimated 35,000 people.
Indonesia’s geology agency head Lana Saria said seismic activity indicated the movement or release of volcanic fluids within the volcanic system.
However, she said the timing, magnitude and nature of the next eruption could not be precisely predicted.
Lana warned people against approaching Anak Krakatau, saying material ejected from the volcano could endanger those within the exclusion zone. She added that the latest series of eruptions did not currently have the potential to trigger a tsunami.
A tsunami triggered by the collapse of part of Anak Krakatau in 2018 killed 429 people and displaced thousands.
Indonesia lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the movement of tectonic plates causes frequent volcanic and seismic activity.
