Britons warned to avoid all travel to parts of Indonesia following volcanic eruption

Indonesia’s Anak Krakatoa volcano erupted early on Sunday (September 6), sending clouds of ash high into the atmosphere and grounding flights at several airports, including Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta.

According to the Indonesian Geological Agency, the Krakatoa volcano erupted at 3:53 a.m. and lasted 30 seconds.

Surveillance footage shows flashes of lava from the volcano.

ADVISORY ON SINGAPORE AIRLINES FLIGHTS IMPACTED BY THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT ANAK KRAKATAU

Due to volcanic activity caused by the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatoa in Indonesia, the following Singapore Airlines flights have been cancelled:

• SQ950 departs from Singapore to Jakarta…

– Singapore Airlines (@SingaporeAir) September 6, 2026

No injuries were reported and no evacuation orders were issued.

The nearest settlement is more than 16 kilometers (10 miles) away, but authorities have warned residents and visitors to stay at least three kilometers (2 miles) away from the active crater.

Volcanic ash spread across parts of Jakarta and Lampung province on the southern tip of Sumatra, the Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said.

Flights canceled as Indonesian airports close due to volcanic eruption

AirNav Indonesia closed the airspace around Soekarno-Hatta and Halim Perdanakusuma airports in Jakarta, as well as four other airports, including Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung, due to volcanic ash.

By mid-day, the closure affected 516 flights, including 202 at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport, affecting about 22,800 passengers on Sunday.

The airport was ordered closed until at least 5:30 p.m.

The volcanic eruption also disrupted flights at Bali’s Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and in Medan.

Indonesia’s General Civil Aviation Authority said it was closely monitoring the eruption’s impact on air travel and was coordinating with airlines, airport operators, air navigation services and the meteorological agency.

“Safety remains our top priority in every operational decision,” Lukman F. Laisa, director general of civil aviation at the transportation ministry, said in a statement.

Your rights if your flight is canceled or delayed

He warned that flight schedules could face cascading disruptions that would impact aircraft rotations, fleet availability and terminal capacity as airlines work to restore operations.

Indonesia’s Volcanology Agency and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center detected two ash clouds using satellite imagery.

One plume rose to 20,000 feet (6,100 meters) and moved northeast over Jakarta, Banten, West Java and nearby waters.

The second cloud rose much higher (50,000 feet/15,200 meters) and spread over parts of Banten, Lampung and Bengkulu provinces, the southern Sunda Strait and parts of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.

Warning issued to Britons traveling to Indonesia

The UK government has warned Britons against traveling to parts of Indonesia.

It said: “If you are planning to travel, check with your airline or travel provider for the latest information on the status of your flight.”

Britons are advised to avoid traveling to the following volcanoes in Indonesia:

• Mount Levotobi Lucky Laki, on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province – within 7 km of the crater.
• Mount Sinabung, Karo Ridensi, North Sumatra – within 5 km of the crater.
• Mount Marapi, West Sumatra – within 3 km of the crater.
• Mount Semeru, Lumajang Regency, East Java – within 5 km from the crater and in the southeast of Mount Semuru within 500 m from any bank of the Besuk Cobocan River at a distance of 13 km from the crater.
• Mount Ruang, North Sulawesi – within 7 km of the crater.
• Mount Ibu, North Maluku Province – within 7 km of the crater.

Will there be a larger eruption of Anaka Krakatoa?

Lana Saria, head of Indonesia’s geological agency, said activity at the Anak Krakatoa volcano had increased since July, with Sunday’s eruption being the strongest so far in the current period of unrest.

She said the repeated eruptions indicate a continued flow of magma and volcanic gases beneath the volcano, although officials cannot predict whether a larger eruption will occur.

“We continue to assess the development of the volcano based on all monitoring data, not just the number of eruptions or the height of the ash column,” Ms. Saria said in a video briefing.

She added that the main dangers include:

• Volcanic ash
• High gas concentrations
• The ejection of hot rocks and other material around the crater.

Anak Krakatoa, which means “child of Krakatoa”, is a descendant of the famous Krakatoa, whose monumental eruption in 1883 triggered a period of global cooling.

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The eruption caused a tsunami in 2018 that killed at least 430 people in Sumatra and Java.

Researchers believe that volcanic activity triggered an underwater landslide that caused much of the southwestern slope of Anaka Krakatoa to collapse and displace a large volume of water.

Scientists said that after the eruption, the island of Anak Krakatoa was only about a quarter of its original size.

Did the flight cancellation due to the volcanic eruption affect you? Let us know in the comments below.