JAKARTA — Ash from Indonesia’s erupting Anak Krakatau volcano forced authorities to suspend operations at the country’s main international airport and additional fields on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, disrupting hundreds of flights and stranding large numbers of passengers, BBC News and a Reuters dispatch carried by CNN reported.

Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport was the first closed Sunday morning after ash was detected in nearby airspace. Indonesia’s transportation ministry initially said the Jakarta halt alone affected 209 flights, including international routes to Singapore and other hubs, Reuters reported. BBC later cited Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi saying the temporary closures had expanded to more airports after ash spread toward West Java, with 712 flights affected and more than 150,000 passengers stranded across the disrupted network — figures that reflect the wider multi-airport pause beyond the early Jakarta-only count.

Purwagandhi urged airlines to speed refunds and keep passengers informed to limit overcrowding, BBC reported. The pause mainly hit Singapore routes plus other international links including Doha, Sydney, and Kuala Lumpur, according to the transport ministry accounts in both wires.

Anak Krakatau — “Child of Krakatoa,” in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra — began erupting late Friday, with additional eruptions early Sunday, authorities said. Indonesia’s meteorological agency BMKG reported ash as high as about 20,000 feet (6,000 m) on the Java side and up to about 50,000 feet (15,000 m) on the Sumatra side. Disaster officials said there was no tsunami warning tied to the latest activity; the health minister urged residents in ashfall zones to stay indoors and wear masks.

Local outlet Kompas, cited by Reuters and BBC, said some schools canceled activities and fishermen stayed ashore after eye irritation from ash. Anak Krakatau’s December 2018 collapse triggered a tsunami that killed more than 400 people along nearby coasts — context for why officials stress vigilance even when no tsunami alert is active.

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