Volcanic eruption halts flights at Jakarta and seven other Indonesian airports

Read the original at The Guardian ↗
Cite

Guardian staff. (2026, September 6). Volcanic eruption halts flights at Jakarta and seven other Indonesian airports. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/06/volcanic-ash-cloud-halts-flights-at-indonesias-main-international-airport

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Guardian · collected 2026-09-06 · by Guardian staff

Quick Summary

The Indonesian government halted operations at eight airports on Sunday due to an ash cloud from the Anak Krakatau volcano, which erupted on Saturday. The closure affected hundreds of flights, including international ones, with over 22,000 passengers and 209 flights impacted. Ash was detected in the airspace around Soekarno-Hatta international airport near Jakarta, prompting authorities to suspend operations until 9:30pm local time on Sunday. Volcanic ash can damage jet engines and clog fuel and air systems if ingested by planes.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-06, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Mount Anak Krakatoa, an active volcano located between the islands of Java and Sumatra, erupted on September 6 (article 4 mentions a date but it is unclear if this is correct), producing lava fountains, booming sounds, and tremors that could be felt in surrounding regions. The eruption caused volcanic ash to spread across parts of western Indonesia, including the capital city of Jakarta and Lampung province on Sumatra's southern tip.

As a result, several airports were closed due to volcanic ash, affecting thousands of passengers. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, located outside Jakarta, was one of the affected airports, with over 22,000 passengers impacted by the closure. In total, 209 flights and 1,558 canceled flights were disrupted.

The airport closures were extended multiple times due to increased eruptive activity. By Sunday evening, six airports had been closed, including Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, with operations suspended until at least 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. The suspension affected not only domestic but also international flights, including routes to and from Singapore, Doha, Sydney, and Kuala Lumpur.

No casualties were reported, but authorities warned people to stay away from the active crater, which is located over 10 miles away from the nearest settlement. The eruption was closely monitored by Indonesia's Geological Agency and transportation officials, who emphasized safety as their top priority in operational decisions.

Written for “Indonesia Volcanic Eruption” on 2026-10-22, grounded in this article and the 16 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Indonesia Volcanic Eruption
World · 17 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Anak Krakatau eruption halts flights at Indonesia’s main airport same event · 100%
Al Jazeera · 0.94 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 7% hedged 1 of 15 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the same volcanic eruption of Anak Krakatau and its impact on flights at Indonesian airports, with Article A covering a specific airport (Soekarno-Hatta) and Article B covering multiple airports including Soekarno-Hatta”
Volcano eruption leaves 170,000 passengers stranded and hundreds of flights cancelled in Indonesia same event · 100%
Daily Mail · 0.93 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 7% hedged 2 of 28 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles describe the same volcanic eruption on September 6, 2026, at Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia, affecting flights and airports in the region.”
Indonesia volcano eruption disrupts hundreds of flights same event · 100%
Al Jazeera · 0.93 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 3 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles report on the same volcanic eruption of Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia on September 6, 2026, which disrupted hundreds of flights.”
Volcano eruption leaves 170,000 passengers stranded in Indonesia same event · 100%
BBC News · 0.92 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 10% hedged 2 of 20 📰 publisher trust 69
“Both articles report on a single volcanic eruption incident that occurred on Saturday, causing disruptions at Indonesian airports on Sunday.”
Indonesia’s Anak Krakatoa volcano erupts, disrupting flights at 6 airports same event · 100%
South China Morning Post · 0.92 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 17% hedged 1 of 6 📰 publisher trust 64
“Both articles report on the exact same volcanic eruption of Anak Krakatoa on Saturday, with similar details about lava and booming sounds, and disruptions to flights at Indonesian airports.”
Flights to and from Indonesia's capital suspended after volcanic eruption same event · 100%
ABC News (AU) · 0.91 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 3 📰 publisher trust 68
“Both articles describe the suspension of flights in Indonesia due to a volcanic eruption by Mount Anak Krakatau on September 6, 2026.”
Indonesia keeps several airports closed but Anak Krakatau volcanic eruption is easing same event · 100%
Euronews · 0.90 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 15 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the same volcanic eruption at Anak Krakatau, its effects on flights and air travel, and the response of authorities in Indonesia.”
Indonesia cancels flights at Jakarta airport as Anak Krakatau volcano erupts same event · 100%
The Hindu · 0.90 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 10 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe the eruption of Anak Krakatau volcano on September 6, 2026, and its impact on flights at Jakarta airport.”
Indonesia volcano eruptions cancels hundreds of flights at major airport hub same event · 100%
CBS News · 0.89 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 7% hedged 2 of 28 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles report on the volcanic eruption of Anak Krakatau volcano in Indonesia on September 6, 2026, with similar details about the impact on flights and ash cloud.”
Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano erupts, canceling flights at Jakarta airport and others same event · 100%
New York Post · 0.87 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 1 of 28 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles report on a volcanic eruption of Anak Krakatau volcano on September 6, 2026, with similar details and time stamps”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
25
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
3 of 25 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
The Guardian's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
17
World
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-06 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Guardian staff
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Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
Also by Guardian staff
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 57 articles by Guardian staff →

Topics

BNPB Indonesia Jakarta Java Sumatra

Subjects

Jakarta GPE · 3× Java GPE · 3× BNPB ORG · 2× Sumatra GPE · 2× Angkasa Pura ORG · 1× Australian NORP · 1× Banten GPE · 1× Indonesia GPE · 1× Qantas ORG · 1× Singapore Airlines ORG · 1×

Narrative

“If it rains heavily enough, the volcanic ash that has been disrupting our daily lives since yesterday and continuing today will be washed away quickly,” the BNPB chief, Lt Gen Suharyanto, told a press conference.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-06
🔮 Services will resume when conditions allow.”
2026-09-06 · The Guardian
Volcanic eruption halts flights at Jakarta and seven other Indonesian airports · assertive framing

Claims (25 extracted, 3 hedged)

Indonesia halted operations at eight airports on Sunday, including from its main international hub, affecting hundreds of flights as a result of an ash cloud from the Anak Krakatau volcano. asserted
Indonesia → halt → volcano
Saturday’s eruption, which produced lava and booming sounds that were heard up to 435 miles (700km) away, according to Indonesia’s geology agency, also interrupted some school activities and fishing. uncertain
that → produce → activities
Two more eruptions were recorded on Sunday. asserted
eruptions → record → Sunday
Ash was detected in the airspace around Soekarno-Hatta international airport near Jakarta, prompting authorities to suspend operations. asserted
Ash → detect → operations
They announced several extensions of the shutdown, keeping the airport closed to flights until 9.30pm local time on Sunday. asserted
They → announce → Sunday
The suspension affected hundreds of flights, including international ones, according to the airport operator, Angkasa Pura. uncertain
suspension → affect → operator
Singapore Airlines said it had cancelled flights to and from Jakarta for the rest of Sunday. asserted
it → say → Sunday
The Australian flag carrier said there were “disruptions to a number of Qantas services, including cancellations to and from Jakarta today”. asserted
carrier → say → cancellations
“Our meteorologists and operations teams are closely monitoring conditions in and around Jakarta and any impact on our operations,” it said in a statement. asserted
it → monitor → statement
“Safety remains our highest priority. asserted
Safety → remain → ?
We have contacted affected customers and are providing assistance. asserted
We → contact → assistance
Services will resume when conditions allow.” asserted
conditions → resume → ?
Volcanic ash can damage jet engines, baking on to hot internal parts and quickly wearing out turbine blades, as well as clogging fuel and air systems. asserted
ash → damage → systems
It can also damage pilots’ windscreens. asserted
It → damage → windscreens
Ash reached as high as 6,000 metres (20,000ft) on the Java side of the volcano and 15,000 metres on the Sumatra side and some parts of Banten province in Java, the meteorological agency BMKG said. asserted
agency → reach → Java
Several schools cancelled activities on Saturday after students and residents suffered eye irritation, and fishers cancelled fishing trips, the local media outlet Kompas reported. asserted
outlet → cancel → trips
The disaster mitigation agency BNPB said it would conduct a weather modification operation, which could include cloud-seeding to promote rain. uncertain
which → say → rain
“If it rains heavily enough, the volcanic ash that has been disrupting our daily lives since yesterday and continuing today will be washed away quickly,” the BNPB chief, Lt Gen Suharyanto, told a press conference. asserted
chief → rain → conference
More than 22,000 passengers and 209 flights were affected, the transport ministry said, particularly those bound to and from Singapore. asserted
ministry → affect → Singapore
Other affected international routes included Doha, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur. asserted
routes → affect → Doha
At least 16 domestic flights to Bali were cancelled, local airport authorities said. asserted
authorities → cancel → Bali
Anak Krakatau, which means “child of Krakatau”, sits in a strait that separates the islands of Java and Sumatra. asserted
that → mean → Java
The volcano has been sporadically active since it emerged from the sea in the caldera formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatau. asserted
it → emerge → Krakatau
About 35,000 people were killed. asserted
people → kill → ?
Port authorities said ships passing through the strait were prohibited from going within a two-mile radius of the volcano and should be vigilant. asserted
ships → say → volcano
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