Mount Lewotobi Erupts Six Times, Maumere Airport Shut

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), which erupted five times on Friday (5/6), has forced authorities to temporarily close Frans Seda Maumere Airport. Ashfall blanketing the area was deemed a risk to aviation. Head of Frans Seda Maumere Airport, Parthaian Panjaitan, stated that the closure is effective from Friday morning until Saturday at 06:00 WITA. The decision was taken after an ash column was recorded soaring 1,000-2,500 metres above the mountain’s peak. ‘Flight operations are temporarily closed until tomorrow morning at 06:00 WITA for safety reasons,’ he told CNNIndonesia.com, as confirmed on Friday evening. A total of five flights operated by Wings Air and Nam Air were cancelled following today’s eruptions. Affected routes include Maumere-Kupang, Kupang-Maumere, Maumere-Labuan Bajo, and Labuan Bajo-Maumere. Meanwhile, Komodo International Airport in Labuan Bajo continues to operate normally. Komodo Airport Public Relations officer, Marwah, stated that only flights connecting Labuan Bajo with Maumere were cancelled. Following additional eruptions on Friday evening, confirmation on the reopening of Maumere airport is still awaiting official monitoring from vulcanology and aviation authorities. ‘We will see the information from Astham tomorrow morning. Hopefully, conditions will improve and it can be reopened,’ Parthaian said.