Krakatau ash hit 764 flights at Jakarta; six airports closed, then briefly reopened

Update — 16 October 2026: the alert level has been raised again

Indonesia’s Geological Agency raised Anak Krakatau back to Level III (Siaga), the second-highest of four alert levels, from 9pm local time on 9 October after a series of eruptions. People must stay at least 5 km from the crater. We have found no report of new airport closures since then, but ash can disrupt Jakarta-area flights at short notice, so check your airline’s app on the day you fly. (MAGMA Indonesia; Katadata, 10 October)

Our 25 September update below, which reported the lowering to Level II, is kept as published; it was correct at the time.

Update — 25 September 2026: the alert level has been lowered

Indonesia’s Geological Agency (Badan Geologi) lowered Anak Krakatau from Level III (Siaga) to Level II (Waspada), the second of four alert levels, from 18:30 WIB on Monday 21 September 2026. The agency’s head, Lana Saria, said activity had been declining since the 25-hour continuous eruption of 4–6 September, CNN Indonesia and CNBC Indonesia reported. Visitors, tourists and climbers must still keep out of a 2 km radius around the crater — down from 3 km — and stay alert to ejected hot rocks and heavy ash. MAGMA Indonesia, the agency’s monitoring service, now lists the volcano at Level II.

We have found no report of a further airport closure since the eight airports shut by the ash reopened on 8 September. Level II still means an active volcano, so if you are flying to or from Jakarta or Bali, check your flight status on the day as you would in any eruption season. The earlier reports below are kept unchanged, including their references to Level III, which was correct when they were written.

Update — 17 September 2026: the airports have reopened

This article was first published on 6 September and last updated that evening, when it said eight Indonesian airports were closed indefinitely. That is no longer the case. All eight airports shut by ash from Anak Krakatau reopened in the early hours of Tuesday 8 September. A Soekarno-Hatta airport spokesperson told ANTARA that afternoon that “all air corridors have been reopened”, and The Jakarta Post reported the same day that the Jakarta airports were operating again. We have found no report of a further closure since. The full reopening sequence is in our follow-up report.

The volcano has not stood down. Indonesia’s volcano monitoring service, MAGMA Indonesia, still lists Anak Krakatau at Level III (Siaga, “alert”) of four on 17 September. The UK Foreign Office removed its information about the Jakarta airport closures from its Indonesia travel advice on 10 September.

What this means now: flights through Jakarta are running normally, and Bali was never among the closed airports. Because the alert level is unchanged, a fresh ash event could disrupt Java flights again at short notice. Check your flight status with the airline before leaving for the airport. The report below is kept unchanged as the record of 6 September.

The scale, now that it has been counted

Update, 6 September: the reopening described below did not hold. Later the same evening the Transport Minister confirmed that eight airports — the six named here plus Taufik Kiemas and Atung Bungsu — are closed indefinitely. See our report on the eight-airport closure for the current position; the account below stands as a record of Sunday afternoon.

The Indonesian state news agency ANTARA reported on Sunday evening that 764 flight movements at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport were affected by ash from Anak Krakatau — 570 domestic passenger flights, 185 international passenger flights and nine cargo flights, described as an accumulation of cancellations, delays and diversions to alternate airports. That is a considerably larger figure than the 301 reported when the eruption began.

Yudistiawan, Assistant Deputy for Communication and Legal Affairs at Soekarno-Hatta, said the closure was "implemented as a precautionary measure to guarantee aviation safety, as volcanic ash poses severe technical risks to aircraft engines". The airport activated its Service Recovery Action protocol and opened a command post with airlines and ground handlers, providing food and drink, shuttle buses to hotels, rest areas and 24-hour retail and food service.

Six airports, and a rebooking order

The Transportation Ministry’s Director General of Civil Aviation, Lukman F. Laisa, named six affected airports: Soekarno-Hatta and Halim Perdanakusuma in Jakarta, Radin Inten II at Lampung, Budiarto at Curug, Pondok Cabe, and Husein Sastranegara at Bandung. He instructed airlines to give passengers timely status updates and rebooking or refund options in accordance with applicable consumer-protection regulations.

The UK Foreign Office recorded on 6 September that Soekarno-Hatta and Halim "have reopened, but there are continued flight disruptions and many flights are cancelled or delayed". The Canadian government advisory, updated the same day, names the same Jakarta airports plus Lampung and advises travellers to confirm the status of their flight before heading to the airport.

What travellers should do

Most Indian travellers reach Bali without touching Jakarta, and Bali’s own airport has stayed open throughout. If your itinerary includes a Java leg or a domestic connection through Jakarta, the practical steps are the same as they were on Friday: confirm with the airline before leaving for the airport, and know that you are entitled to a rebooking or a refund rather than a voucher.

Ash disruption does not end when an airport reopens — aircraft and crews are out of position for a day or more afterwards, and the wind can bring the plume back. Treat any Java connection this week as fragile and leave a long buffer before an onward international flight.

Sources

This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.

• Mount Anak Krakatau eruption impacts 764 flights at Soekarno-Hatta — ANTARA News, 06 September 2026
• Govt urges airlines to fulfill passenger rights amid eruption closures — ANTARA News, 06 September 2026
• Indonesia travel advice — warnings and insurance — UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, 06 September 2026
• Mount Anak Krakatau eruption grounds eight Indonesian airports — ANTARA News, 06 September 2026
• Soekarno-Hatta Airport resumes flights as volcanic ash clears — ANTARA News, 08 September 2026
• Jakarta airport and others reopen after volcanic ash crisis — The Jakarta Post, 08 September 2026
• Indonesia travel advice — 10 September update removing the Jakarta airport-closure information — UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, 10 September 2026
• Volcano activity levels (tingkat aktivitas gunung api) — Anak Krakatau at Level III, checked 17 September 2026 — MAGMA Indonesia (PVMBG, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources)
• Gunung Anak Krakatau turun level dari Siaga ke Waspada — CNN Indonesia, 21 September 2026
• Status Gunung Api Anak Krakatau resmi turun jadi Level II atau Waspada — CNBC Indonesia, 21 September 2026
• Tingkat aktivitas gunung api (volcano activity levels, read 25 September 2026) — MAGMA Indonesia (Badan Geologi), 25 September 2026
• Status Gunung Anak Krakatau Naik Lagi ke Level Siaga — Katadata, 10 October 2026
• Waspada! Dini Hari Ini Gunung Anak Krakatau Kembali Erupsi (Sabtu, 17 Oktober 2026) — Katadata (Databoks), 17 October 2026