Airlines
Krakatau eruption disrupts nearly 3,000 flights, Delhi and Mumbai affected
Volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau has caused 2,927 flight delays and 584 cancellations across Asia, including at Delhi and Mumbai airports.
Nearly 3,000 flights were delayed across Asia on Tuesday as ash from the erupting Mount Anak Krakatau volcano disrupted regional air travel, including at Delhi and Mumbai.
The region-wide toll stood at 2,927 delays and 584 cancellations, spanning airports in India, Japan, China and Indonesia.
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport logged 177 delays and 4 cancellations; Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport logged 245 delays and 3 cancellations.
IndiGo recorded 258 delayed flights and 9 cancellations, while Air India recorded 114 delays and 2 cancellations.
Mount Anak Krakatau, in the Sunda Strait, began erupting on September 4 and remains at Alert Level III as of the latest assessment.
As of September 7, Indonesian volcanological authorities kept Anak Krakatau at Alert Level III, warning that the risk of further eruptions remained high and that airports were reopening in phases rather than all at once.
Etihad Airways and SpiceJet were among the international and domestic carriers reporting delays on services to and from Delhi and Mumbai during the disruption.
Volcanic ash poses a direct safety hazard to jet engines, which is why aviation authorities impose ground restrictions and altitude diversions rather than allowing aircraft to fly through affected airspace.
Garuda Indonesia and Batik Air, the two largest carriers based in the affected region, reported the heaviest cancellation rates of any airline tracked in the disruption.
Airlines advised passengers travelling through affected hubs to check flight status directly with carriers before heading to the airport, as ash-related restrictions were being updated through the day.
Mount Anak Krakatau, in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, began erupting on September 4, triggering a five-day aviation shutdown that closed eight Indonesian airports and stranded more than 270,000 passengers.
Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport recorded the highest number of cancellations in the region, with 207 flights called off as ash plumes drifted over the airspace.
Interior of Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Wikimedia Commons, CC0