Larantuka Airport Closed Due to Lewotolok Eruption, Affecting 102 Passengers

Flight operations at Gewayantana Larantuka Airport, East Flores, were temporarily closed today due to the eruption of Mount Ile Lewotolok in Lembata Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). Hundreds of passengers have been affected by the flight cancellations at the airport.

The Head of Gewayantana Larantuka Airport, Puguh Lukito, revealed that the closure was implemented because the airspace in the airport area was affected by the distribution of volcanic ash. Puguh stated that 10 عرصے passengers failed to fly as a result of the operational shutdown.

“The latest ASHTAM data for Lewotolok this morning shows that the Larantuka airspace is affected by the volcanic ash dispersal from Mount Lewotolok,” Puguh said when confirmed on Saturday (12/9/2026).

Puguh detailed that the hundreds of passengers unable to fly included 48 passengers on the Kupang-Larantuka route and 54 passengers on the Larantuka-Kupang route.

The official from the Ile Lewotolok Volcano Observation Post (PGA), Yeremias Kristianto Pugel, revealed that Mount Ile Lewotolok erupted again this morning at 10:18 WITA. According to him, the volcano ejected an ash column 700 metres above the peak.

“This eruption was recorded on the seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 40 millimetres (mm) and a duration of approximately 1 minute and 36 seconds,” Yeremias said in an official statement on Saturday.

Yeremias noted that Mount Ile Lewotolok is currently at Level II (Alert) status. He urged the public and hikers to avoid all activities within a 2-3 kilometre radius of the southern and south-eastern sectors of Mount Ile Lewotolok’s activity centre.

“Be alert to the potential danger of lava flows, landslides, or pyroclastic clouds in the southern, south-eastern, western, and north-eastern sectors of Mount Ile Lewotolok,” he concluded.

Previously, Mount Ile Lewotolok was reported to have erupted 369 times within the last 24 hours on Friday (11/8/2026), between 00:00 and 24:00 WITA. The eruptions were accompanied by weak to strong explosions. Incandescent material was observed being ejected 100 metres to the southwest and 200 metres to the west of the crater rim, with new lava flows observed extending 700 metres southeast from the crater rim.