HARIANEXPRESS – InJourney Airports reported a significant disruption to air travel, with 209 scheduled flight cancellations at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.
These cancellations occurred on Sunday, September 6, 2026, resulting from the ongoing eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau.
Anak Krakatau Eruption Causes Widespread Flight Disruptions
Yudistiawan, who serves as the Assistant Deputy for Communication and Legal Affairs at Soekarno-Hatta, detailed the timeline of these cancellations.
He stated that the flights were called off between 1:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The total of 209 canceled flights included a substantial number of domestic and international routes.
Specifically, there were 160 domestic flights, 39 international flights, and an additional 10 cargo flights that were affected.
Airport Management Responds with Recovery Measures
Airport management has committed to implementing operational recovery measures in a gradual manner.
This careful approach is being taken while continuously assessing the evolving situation of volcanic ash and prioritizing aviation safety.
InJourney Airports is actively coordinating with all relevant stakeholders to effectively manage operations and ensure passenger services during this period of disruption.
Soekarno-Hatta has activated its comprehensive Service Recovery Activation measures to support affected passengers.
As part of these measures, the airport is providing food and light refreshments to those impacted by the flight cancellations.
Essential support facilities have also been established, including a dedicated command post at Terminal 1B.
This command post is crucial for coordinating and managing all ground operations throughout the temporary closure.
Additionally, airport management has engaged with terminal tenants to ensure that commercial services remain available for 24 hours.
This coordination aims to meet the essential needs of passengers while the airport operations are affected.
Six Airports See Extended Closures Due to Volcanic Ash
On Sunday afternoon, Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi announced a significant development regarding airport operations.
He confirmed that the closures for six airports affected by Anak Krakatau’s volcanic ash had been extended by another four hours.
Minister Purwagandhi made this announcement during a news conference that commenced at approximately 1 p.m. on Sunday.
This extension means the airport closures could potentially remain in effect until about 5 p.m. local time.
The Minister explained that the decision to maintain the closures was based on the latest paper-test monitoring.
These tests revealed the continued presence of volcanic ash at each of the affected facilities.
The closures are strictly implemented as a precautionary measure to safeguard the safety of all flights.
Authorities are continuing their diligent monitoring of the volcanic ash situation emanating from Mount Anak Krakatau.
List of Affected Airports
The six airports impacted by the extended closures are:
- Radin Inten II in Lampung
- Soekarno-Hatta in Tangerang
- Halim Perdanakusuma in Jakarta
- Budiarto in Tangerang
- Pondok Cabe in Tangerang
- Husein Sastranegara in Bandung
