Indonesian authorities have temporarily paused flights at eight airports following a volcanic eruption.
Around 170,000 travellers are reportedly stranded after Anak Krakatau began showing signs of activity on Friday night.
After ash from the volcano entered the airspace near Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesian authorities made the decision to halt flights.
Soekarno-Hatta closed on Sunday morning. Seven other airports have since followed.
The disruption has also hit Australian travellers with Qantas cancelling four flights connecting Sydney and Melbourne with Jakarta.
The cancelled services are QF39, QF40, QF41 and QF42. Other flight paths through the region have also been affected.
At Soekarno-Hatta alone, 209 flights were affected, disrupting more than 22,000 travellers, according to Indonesia’s transport ministry.
Authorities extended the airport closure until 09:00am Monday morning local time.
Flights to and from Singapore suffered the biggest impact whilst international services to Doha, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur were also affected.
Highly unpredictable
The volcano sits in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. It first erupted on Saturday, spewing lava and producing booming sounds reportedly heard hundreds of kilometres away.
Two further eruptions followed on Sunday. Indonesia’s geology agency warned the volcano remains highly unpredictable.
Travellers heading to Indonesia should check their flight status before travelling. Authorities warn airports in affected areas may close at short notice.
Volcanic ash may also affect air quality. Travellers with asthma or other respiratory conditions should take extra care and follow local health advice.
