Jakarta’s main airport and three others have delayed reopening after halting operations due to a volcanic eruption and leaving hundreds of thousands stranded.

Mount Anak Krakatau, about 150 kilometres from Indonesia’s capital, erupted on Saturday, spewing a fountain of lava and a plume of volcanic ash.

Eight airports had halted operations over the weekend after ash was detected in their airspace, disrupting thousands of flights and leaving more than 270,000 passengers stranded, the transport ministry reported.

“These figures are the cumulative operational impact since 5 September 2026 and cover flights that have been canceled, delayed, or diverted,” the ministry said in a statement.

Italian tourist Michel Miegge was on holiday with his girlfriend and due to fly home in time for work tomorrow, but their flight was cancelled.

“We don’t have any news from the airline. We don’t know if we stay another day in Jakarta or find another flight,” the 32-year-old software engineer said.

“I don’t think it’s possible now. We found a nearby hotel, but we saw that many hotels were fully booked. Fortunately, we booked a hotel last night, but it’s a difficult situation.”

At least four airports, including Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, extended their closure from this morning to 6pm local time (midday Irish time), airport operator Angkasa Pura said in a social media post.

Halim Perdanakusuma, a smaller airport that caters to both civil and military flights, will also remain closed.

Another small airport in south Sumatra had resumed operations this morning by 9am, the transport ministry said.

Threat remains high

More than 240 domestic and international flights had been cancelled or delayed due to volcanic ash this morning alone, Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport said, adding that nearly 30,000 passengers were affected.

“We understand that this situation affects passengers’ travel plans. Therefore, from the start of the temporary closure, we have focused on ensuring that passengers’ needs continue to be met,” airport spokesman, Yudhistiawan, who like many Indonesians only has one name, said in a statement.

The country’s geology agency warned that “the probability of further eruptions in the coming periods remains high”.

“The threat from an eruption comes from the ejection of incandescent rocks accompanied by heavy ashfall. Another potential hazard arises from lava flows if the eruption resumes and continues,” agency head Lana Saria said.

Anak Krakatau, which means Child of Krakatau, sits in a strait that separates the islands of Java and Sumatra.

The volcano has been sporadically active since it emerged from the sea at the beginning of last century in the caldera that formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatau.

A 2018 tsunami triggered by a collapse of parts of Anak Krakatau killed 429 people and left thousands displaced.