Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau erupted early Sunday, September 6, 2026, forcing the suspension of 209 flights at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, halting schools, and disrupting fishing trips across the Sunda Strait region as towering ash plumes drifted over Java and Sumatra.
An eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau caused the suspension of hundreds of flights at Jakarta’s main airport on Sunday after local school activities and fishing trips were abruptly halted. The volcanic island, situated roughly halfway between Java and Sumatra in the Sunda Strait, began erupting late on Friday, according to Indonesia’s transportation ministry.
Airport Closures and Flight Cancellations in Jakarta
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport posted on Instagram that it had suspended flight operations until 9:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) due to volcanic ash. The suspension, extending a halt that had been scheduled until 5:30 a.m., has affected 209 flights, including several international flights, Indonesia’s transportation ministry said. Anak Krakatau has erupted since late on Friday, with volcanic ash detected at airport early on Sunday, the ministry said in a statement.
Soekarno-Hatta International airport said on Sunday morning that it suspended flight operations until 1:30pm local time (06:30 GMT) due to increased eruptive activity
of the volcano, more than 150km (93 miles) away.
Satellite Tracking of Ash Plumes Across Java and Sumatra
Ash was identified as high as 6,000 meters on the Java side of the volcano and a plume of up to 15,000 meters on the Sumatra side and some parts of Banten province in Java, Indonesia’s Meteorological Agency BMKG said. According to meteorological agency BMKG the ash rose as high as 20,000 feet (6,000 metres) on the Java side while a plume reached 50,000 feet (15,000 metres) on the Sumatra side and parts of Banten province.
MAGMA Indonesia, the country’s geological hazard monitoring platform, said seismic activity associated with the eruption was recorded from Friday morning, with a maximum amplitude of 33 millimeters and a duration of 14 seconds.
Public Safety Advisories and Local Disruptions
Indonesia’s Geological Agency said the volcanic island located in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait between the main Java and Sumatra islands showed signs of activity Saturday and erupted for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. Sunday. There were no casualties reported and no evacuation order issued. The nearest settlement is more than 16 kilometers (10 miles). But the agency warned residents and visitors to stay at least 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) from the volcano’s active crater.
Volcanic ash spread across parts of the capital Jakarta and Lampung province on the southern tip of Sumatra island, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.
As of today, September 5, 2026, at 4:40 a.m. Western Indonesian Time, the eruption is still ongoing, and rumbling can still be heard from the Krakatau Pasauran PGA Post,
the agency said in a statement.
Eruptions at the volcano have continued since July 2, when authorities raised its alert status to Level III, local media outlet Tempo reported. The height of the latest eruption column could not be observed, but a bright red eruption plume was clearly visible.
Anak Krakatau, which began erupting late on Friday, produced a fountain of lava and booming sounds that could be heard up to 700km (435 miles) away, according to the meteorological agency BMKG. Two new eruptions were recorded on Sunday, the volcanology agency warned.
Tsunami Risk Assessments and Historical Context
Mount Anak Krakatau in Indonesia’s South Lampung regency continued erupting Saturday morning, with booming and rumbling sounds heard from a nearby volcano observation post, authorities said. The eruption began at 11:07 p.m. local time Friday, with lava fountains observed between midnight and 6 a.m. Saturday. The volcano remains at Level III, or Alert status, with authorities imposing a three-kilometer exclusion zone around its active crater.
Indonesia’s Geological Agency said the volcano’s structure, rebuilt following its 2018 eruption, remains relatively small and is currently not considered capable of collapsing on a scale that could trigger a tsunami.
People do not need to panic, but they must remain vigilant,
the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said in a statement.
Authorities urged residents and tourists not to enter the restricted area or approach the crater. The volcanic island in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, between the main Java and Sumatra islands, had shown signs of activity since Friday before erupting for 30 seconds at 3.53am (Jakarta time) on Sunday. The agency’s closed-circuit camera showed lava flares at the mountain.
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