Kompas reports on Sunday morning, 06 September 2026, that all flights to and from Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport were canceled early due to the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau (GAK) located in the middle of the Sunda Straits.
As a result, thousands of passengers were stranded at Indonesia’s largest airport.
Cynthia Lova, a Kompas journalist coincidentally traveling to Manado at the time of the latest intensifying eruptions, reported that airport authorities announced flight cancellations starting at 00:15 am on Sunday.
The Airport initially announced that airport operations were temporarily suspended until at least 05:30 am Jakarta time, pending further notice. The updates cited that flights were canceled due to the eruption of Anak Krakatau.
Stranded passengers immediately began processing refunds and retrieving their luggage. Meanwhile, flight information boards at Soekarno-Hatta Airport are displaying an increasing number of canceled domestic and international flights.
Current arrival and departure information for Soekarno-Hatta Airport
Arrival and departure flight information, covering numerous cancellations, is updated continuously and changes hour by hour.
Mount Anak Krakatau has been actively erupting since July 2, 2026. Recently, activity has intensified since Friday night. 04 September 2026, continuing through the early hours of Saturday, 05 September 2026, Volcanic ash and booming sounds were reported as far as 250 kilometers away in the Greater Bandung area in West Java.
Historical Notes
The most historically significant eruption of Krakatau occurred on 26-27 August 1883, considered one of the largest and most devastating volcanic explosions in recorded history. That explosion is estimated to have had the force of 200 megatons of TNT, equivalent to an explosion 13,000 times more powerful than “Little Boy “- the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.
The 1883 eruption of Krakatau ejected some 25 cubic kilometers of earth and stone. The explosion was heard as far away as Alice Springs in Australia and Rodrigues Island near Mauritius.
Records kept by the Dutch Colonial Government noted that 165 surrounding villages and towns were destroyed by the explosion and resulting tsunami, with 132 other population centers also suffering severe damage. An estimated 36,417 people died in connection with the 1883 eruption, with thousands more injured, mostly by the resulting tsunami.
The explosion obliterated two-thirds of Krakatau Island, with a new volcano only emerging from the ocean floor in the early 1900s.
Danger Zone
The Geological Agency (BKMG) has urged the public, visitors, tourists, and hikers to refrain from approaching or engaging in activities within a 3-kilometer radius of the eruption center. Strict adherence to this rule is required to avoid immediate eruption hazards, such as the ejection of incandescent material, dense volcanic ash, or hazardous gases near the active crater.
Soekarno-Hatta Airport management temporarily closed the airport due to volcanic activity from Mount Anak Krakatau. Radin Inten II International Airport at Bandar Lampung, South Sumatra, was also temporarily closed.
The eruption dispersed volcanic ash across a wide region. Based on information from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) and VAAC Darwin, as well as an analysis of Himawari-9 RGB satellite imagery on Saturday night, two clusters of volcanic ash dispersal from Mount Anak Krakatau were identified.
Ash dispersal extending from the surface to an altitude of 50,000 feet was observed moving southwest to northwest, covering parts of Banten, Lampung, Bengkulu, South Sumatra, and West Sumatra, as well as the southern Sunda Strait and the Indian Ocean west of Bengkulu, Lampung, and Banten.
Dispersal extending from the surface to an altitude of 20,000 feet was observed moving southeast to south, covering parts of Banten and West Java along with surrounding waters.
Urgent Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for aircraft operating in the area have been posted,
The traveling public is urged to maintain contact with their airline and relevant airport for the latest information in this developing geophysical situation.
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