Kathmandu— Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesia’s main airport outside Jakarta, has suspended flight operations due to volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau, which erupted late on Friday. The airport’s director general stated that safety remains the top priority in making operational decisions.

Eruption Details and Impact

Anak Krakatau, which began erupting late on Friday, produced a fountain of lava and booming sounds that could be heard up to 700km away, according to the meteorological agency BMKG. Two new eruptions were recorded on Sunday, the volcanology agency warned. Ash was identified as high as 6,000 metres on the Java side of the volcano, and a plume of up to 15,000 metres on the Sumatra side and some parts of Banten province in Java, BMKG posted on its website. Singapore Airlines was among the carriers affected, cancelling two flights to and from Jakarta on Saturday and delaying two more into Sunday.

Airport Suspension and Monitoring

The airport suspended flight operations until 1:30pm local time (06:30 GMT) due to 'increased eruptive activity' of the volcano, more than 150km away. An earlier airport suspension had been due to end at 5:30am (22:30 GMT Saturday), affecting 33 flights, including 16 international cancellations and seven delays, Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation said. The extended suspension followed a ‘paper test’ conducted between 12:35am and 1:05am (17:35 GMT and 18:05 GMT Saturday) that confirmed the presence of volcanic ash at the airport. Authorities would continue monitoring the situation with airlines, air navigation services and Indonesia’s meteorological agency.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.