Australians travelling to Indonesia are being told to expect delays and disruptions after a volcano erupted over the weekend.
Mount Anak Krakatoa erupted on Saturday, producing a fountain of lava and booming sounds that could be heard up to 700km away, the geology agency said in a statement.
Two new eruptions were recorded on Sunday, the volcanology agency warned.
By Sunday evening, the volcanic ash cloud had affected 467 flight movements in Jakarta´s Soekarno-Hatta airport alone that affected about 150,000 passengers.
The airport was ordered closed until at least 1am.
Flights between Australia and Jakarta predominantly use Sydney, Perth and Melbourne airports, with at least a dozen flights affected on Sunday night.
Other affected international routes included Doha, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur.
At least 16 domestic flights to Bali were also cancelled, local airport authorities said.
The Smartraveller website warned on Sunday night that flights could be delayed or cancelled at short notice.
Mount Anak Krakatau spewing volcanic materials into the air following an eruption in Sunda Strait, Indonesia at the weekend
Indonesia’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport near Jakarta was temporarily closed early Sunday after volcanic ash affected flights
‘Monitor your flight status and check with your airline or travel provider before travelling,’ the advice stated.
‘Volcanic ash may affect air quality. People with asthma or other respiratory conditions should take extra care and follow health advice from local authorities.’
Indonesia´s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said it was closely monitoring the eruption’s impact on air travel and coordinating with airlines, airport operators, air navigation services and the meteorology agency.
‘Safety remains our top priority in every operational decision,’ Lukman F. Laisa, Ministry of Transportation director general of civil aviation, said in a statement.
He warned flight schedules could face cascading disruptions affecting aircraft rotations, fleet availability and terminal capacity as airlines work to restore operations.
Anak Krakatoa, which means Child of Krakatoa, sits in a strait that separates the islands of Java and Sumatra.
Ships passing through the strait should increase vigilance for possible disruption to navigation safety due to volcanic activities and are prohibited to approach within the 3km exclusion zone, local port authorities said in a statement.
Airplanes sit on the tarmac at Iskandar Muda airport in Blang Bintang on Sunday. Indonesia halted operations at its main international airport outside Jakarta on September 6
More than 400 flights in and out of Indonesia were affected on Sunday alone
The volcano has been sporadically active since it emerged from the sea at the beginning of last century in the caldera formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa.
Indonesia, a Southeast Asian archipelago nation, sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity.
