JAKARTA - Indonesia's main airport postponed reopening on Monday after halting operations following a volcanic eruption that left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded.
Mount Anak Krakatau, about 150 kilometres from Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, erupted on Saturday, spewing a fountain of lava and a plume of volcanic ash.
Eight airports halted operations over the weekend after ash was detected in their airspace, disrupting thousands of flights and leaving more than 270,000 passengers stranded, the transport ministry reported on Monday.
"These figures are the cumulative operational impact since 5 September 2026 and cover flights that have been cancelled, delayed, or diverted," the ministry said in a statement.
Italian tourist Michel Miegge was on holiday with his girlfriend and due to fly home in time for work on Tuesday, but their flight was cancelled.
"We don't have any news from the airline. We don't know if we stay another day in Jakarta or find another flight," the 32-year-old software engineer told AFP.
"I don't think it's possible now. We found a nearby hotel, but we saw that many hotels were fully booked."
Another tourist, French painter Carol Odile, said she came with a group of friends to see Komodo dragons in Flores when she was notified that her flight was cancelled.
"We are disappointed, but our group is optimistic. We hope we can go to Flores Island very soon," the 60-year-old told AFP.
Airports closed
Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, extended its closure from Monday morning to midnight.
"Due to increased eruption activity at Mount Anak Krakatau, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has suspended flight operations until 11:59 PM Western Indonesia Time," the airport said in a social media post.
Halim Perdanakusuma, a smaller airport that caters to both civil and military flights, will also remain closed.
Another small airport in south Sumatra resumed operations on Monday morning, the transport ministry said.
More than 240 domestic and international flights were cancelled or delayed due to volcanic ash on Monday morning alone, Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport said, adding that nearly 30,000 passengers were affected.
The Transport Ministry has prepared six alternative airports -- including airports in East Java, Central Java, and Yogyakarta -- as options for aircraft that were originally scheduled to land in Jakarta.
"We are encouraging airlines to use these airports to avoid passenger congestion, both for arrivals and departures," Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said in a statement.
Airport operators would provide free bus services for passengers who wish to fly from other airports.
Dudy said that the Indonesian government also relaxed rules for foreign passengers who may have overstayed as a result of flight cancellations.
Threat remains high
Benjamin Foatelli, 48, a perfumer based in Jakarta for a French company, left Italy on Sunday evening for Jakarta on an Etihad flight via Abu Dhabi.
However, his connecting flight from the United Arab Emirates was delayed.
"I don't know yet if I'll be able to get back tonight, but I have everything I need to keep working so I can wait calmly for the situation to resolve," he told AFP by phone.
The probability of an eruption remained high, the country's geology agency warned.
"The threat from an eruption comes from the ejection of incandescent rocks accompanied by heavy ashfall. Another potential hazard arises from lava flows if the eruption resumes and continues," agency head Lana Saria said.
Anak Krakatau, which means Child of Krakatau, sits in a strait that separates the islands of Java and Sumatra.
The volcano has been sporadically active since it emerged from the sea at the beginning of last century in the caldera that formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatau.
A 2018 tsunami triggered by a collapse of parts of Anak Krakatau killed 429 people and displaced thousands.
- AFP