Mount Lewotobi Erupts Five Times, Frans Seda Airport Closed

Five eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, on Friday immediately paralysed operations at Frans Seda Airport in Maumere. Due to volcanic ashfall, five flights were cancelled and the airport was temporarily closed until Saturday morning. The head of Frans Seda Airport Maumere, Parthaian Panjaitan, said the closure was implemented because the volcanic activity of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki was impacting flight safety. “Today, 5 June 2026, flight operations at Frans Seda Airport are temporarily closed until tomorrow, Saturday 6 June 2026, at 06.00 Wita, due to the impact of the Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki eruption,” Parthaian stated. Parthaian noted that five Wings Air and Nam Air flights were cancelled as a result of the eruption, which produced ash columns reaching heights of 1,000 to 2,500 metres. The cancelled services included Wings Air and Nam Air flights on the Kupang-Maumere, Maumere-Kupang, Labuan Bajo-Maumere, and Maumere-Labuan Bajo routes. Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted again on Friday afternoon at around 11.15 Wita. The volcano, which is on Level III Alert status, ejected an ash column approximately 2,500 metres above its peak. An officer at the Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki Observation Post, Herman Yosep S Mboro, said the observed height of the ash column reached approximately 4,084 metres above sea level. During the eruption, the thick grey ash column was observed leaning towards the west and northwest. “This eruption was recorded on the seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 29.6 mm and a duration of approximately 2 minutes 17 seconds,” Herman stated. Based on data from the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation, Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki had erupted five times by Friday afternoon, with ash column heights reaching 1,000 to 2,500 metres. Herman urged residents and tourists not to conduct activities within a five-kilometre radius of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki’s eruption centre.