BANJARBARU (TABIRkota) – The Indonesian Ministry of Transportation has extended the closure of eight airports affected by the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau.
Indonesian Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi, in a press release received by TABIRkota.com in Banjarbaru—the capital of South Kalimantan—on Monday (September 7), stated that the resumption of operations at airports affected by Anak Krakatau’s volcanic ash would only occur once safety could be definitively assured.
"Given current conditions, and for the sake of flight safety, the closure of the eight affected airports has been extended until September 7, 2026, at 09:00 WIB (Western Indonesian Time)," he said.
Regarding Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, the measure follows NOTAM A3368/26 (revising NOTAM A3355/26), effective until 08:59 WIB.
Similar closures have been implemented at other airports, including Halim Perdanakusuma Airport (Jakarta), Radin Inten II Airport (Lampung), Husein Sastranegara Airport (Bandung), Budiarto Airport (Curug, Tangerang), Pondok Cabe Airport (South Tangerang), Taufik Kiemas Airport (Pesisir Barat, Lampung), and Atung Bungsu Airport (Pagar Alam, South Sumatra).
According to Dudy Purwagandhi, safety is the top priority, and the ministry is assessing the latest situation based on information provided by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
"We cannot yet confirm when this will end because weather conditions are highly dynamic. However, the BMKG has reported that wind directions shift rapidly at various altitude layers, so this is a factor we must verify," he said.
To date, the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation continues to monitor developments regarding the activity and spread of volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau.
One of the measures being taken is conducting "paper tests" every 30 minutes across the airport grounds to determine whether the ash spread is expanding or subsiding.
Dudy Purwagandhi added that once conditions return to normal and the airport resumes operations, the aircraft scheduled for use will undergo prior inspections.
"Typically, all airlines have contingency plans in place. If an issue arises and they are forced to remain grounded overnight, they will shut down the engines," he added.
When the airport reopens, airlines must conduct inspections before commencing operations to ensure there is no dust in the engines, in the interest of flight safety. (ra)
