Aviation News

Volcanic Ash Shuts Seven Indonesian Airports

Ash from Anak Krakatau reached as high as 50,000 feet and disrupted nearly 3,000 flights.

Matt Ryan

Monday, September 07, 2026 at 10:31 AM ET

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Matt Ryan

[Credit: Lasse Johansson | Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Seven Indonesian airports, including Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta, closed due to volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau.
The closures affected approximately 341,000 passengers and 2,961 flights (canceled, delayed, or diverted).
Volcanic ash was detected at high altitudes (up to 50,000 feet) and spread across various regions.
Airport closures were extended for runway clearing and ash monitoring, with the volcano remaining active and further eruptions possible.

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Seven Indonesian airports remained closed Monday after volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau spread across the region over the weekend. The closures included Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and affected about 341,000 passengers through 2,961 canceled, delayed or diverted flights.

Indonesia’s meteorological agency BMKG said ash was detected as high as 20,000 feet east of the volcano and 50,000 feet to the west. The agency issued 18 SIGMETs after the eruption began late Friday. Ash reached portions of Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Lampung and surrounding airspace.

Authorities extended the airport closures while crews cleared runways, taxiways and aprons and monitored the movement of the ash. The volcano remained active Monday, and Indonesian officials said additional eruptions remained possible.

Matt Ryan

Matt is AVweb's lead editor. His eyes have been turned to the sky for as long as he can remember. Now a fixed-wing pilot, instructor and aviation writer, Matt also leads and teaches a high school aviation program in the Dallas area. Beyond his lifelong obsession with aviation, Matt loves to travel and has lived in Greece, Czechia and Germany for studies and for work.

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