Indonesia grounded hundreds of flights on Sunday, September 6, 2026, after the Anak Krakatau volcano erupted and sent ash plumes up to 50,000 feet. The activity closed major airports in Jakarta and Lampung, disrupting tens of thousands of passengers across the region without causing reported casualties.
An eruption of Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano sent massive ash plumes across western Indonesia early Sunday, forcing aviation authorities to shut down operations at multiple airports and stranding thousands of travelers.
The volcanic island, situated in the Sunda Strait between the main islands of Java and Sumatra, began showing signs of unrest on Friday. According to Indonesia’s Geological Agency, the active peak erupted for 30 seconds at 3:53 a.m. local time on Sunday, producing lava flares captured on closed-circuit cameras and booming sounds audible up to 700 kilometers away.
Airport Closures and Cascading Flight Disruptions in Jakarta
AirNav Indonesia ordered the immediate closure of airspace surrounding Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, alongside four regional facilities including Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung.
By mid-afternoon on Sunday, the closures had affected 516 flight movements nationwide. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport alone accounted for 202 canceled flights affecting roughly 22,800 passengers, according to transportation officials. International carriers quickly adjusted operations. Singapore Airlines canceled its scheduled services to and from Jakarta for the remainder of Sunday, while Australian carrier Qantas reported disruptions to a number of services, including cancellations to and from Jakarta.
Transport Ministry officials verified the aviation hazard using physical testing. The latest paper test … showed positive results indicating the spread of volcanic ash in the Soekarno-Hatta international airport area
the transport ministry stated regarding the ground checks that confirmed the airspace closure.
Lukman warned that flight schedules face cascading disruptions affecting aircraft rotations, fleet availability, and terminal capacity as carriers scramble to clear the backlog once conditions improve.
Ash Plumes Reach 50,000 Feet Across Java and Sumatra
Satellite imagery analyzed by the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre and Indonesia’s volcanology agency revealed two distinct ash clouds spreading from the crater. A lower plume climbed to 20,000 feet, drifting northeast across Jakarta, Banten, and West Java. A secondary plume surged to 50,000 feet, blanketing parts of Banten, Lampung, and Bengkulu provinces, the southern Sunda Strait, and open sections of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.
Lana Saria, head of Indonesia’s Geological Agency, noted that activity at the volcano has intensified since July, marking Sunday’s eruption as the strongest during the current period of unrest. Continuous magma and volcanic gas supplies feed the ongoing eruptions, though she cautioned that scientists cannot predict whether a larger eruption will occur.
While the nearest residential settlements sit more than 16 kilometers away from the vent, sparing communities from immediate destruction, local authorities enforced a three-kilometer exclusion zone around the active crater for ships and visitors alike.
Daily Life Disrupted and Weather Modification Plans
Beyond aviation, the ash fall forced localized community shutdowns. Several schools suspended classes on Saturday after students and residents reported eye irritation, and local fishermen canceled trips out to sea, according to reports from regional media outlet Kompas.
The national disaster mitigation agency, BNPB, urged residents to remain calm while stepping up personal precautions. Spokesperson Berton Panjaitan advised the public to wear protective masks and eyewear, minimize outdoor exposure, cover domestic water sources, and exercise caution when driving, as volcanic ash can reduce visibility.
To clear the lingering fallout, BNPB chief Suharyanto announced plans for a targeted weather modification operation on Sunday involving cloud-seeding.
The Shadow of the 1883 Eruption and 2018 Tsunami
Anak Krakatau—translating literally as the child of Krakatau
—emerged from the sea nearly a century ago within the caldera left behind by the historic 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatau, a cataclysmic explosion that killed more than 35,000 people and triggered a period of global cooling.
The offspring volcano carries its own destructive history. In 2018, an eruption triggered an underwater landslide that caused a large portion of the island’s southwest slope to collapse, displacing a massive volume of water and generating a tsunami that killed at least 430 people across Java and Sumatra, reducing the island to roughly a quarter of its original size.
Despite anxieties revived by Sunday’s eruption, BNPB confirmed that no imminent risk of tsunami exists from the volcano.
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