Why the Transport Minister Extended Airport Closures Despite Negative Paper Tests
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi has revealed the reason the government once again extended the operational closure of seven airports affected by volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau until Monday (7/9/2026) at 23.59 WIB. The decision was taken because the government chose to act conservatively to guarantee flight safety.
According to Dudy, the highly dynamic wind conditions mean the government is not yet willing to rush to reopen airport operations, even though a number of test results show conditions are beginning to improve.
“The reason we are being conservative is because, as we know, the wind direction is very dynamic. We want to be absolutely certain that the volcanic ash is moving away from the airport locations around Mount Anak Krakatau,” said Dudy at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Tangerang, on Monday (7/9/2026).
The seven airports still temporarily closed comprise Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Banten, Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung, Budiarto Airport in Banten, Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta, Pondok Cabe Airport in Banten, Muhammad Taufiq Kiemas Airport in Lampung, and Husein Sastranegara Airport in West Java.
The airport closures due to volcanic ash have had a major impact on national flight services. As of Monday afternoon, 2,961 flights had been affected, consisting of 2,339 domestic flights and 622 international flights.
Meanwhile, the number of passengers affected has reached approximately 341,000. The impacts include flight cancellations, departure delays, and flight diversions.
Dudy explained that the results of paper tests at several affected airports did indeed show negative results, meaning no volcanic ash was detected. However, the government will not reopen airport operations before obtaining confirmation from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) Darwin, the official reference body for volcanic ash monitoring for international aviation.
“We are making sure everything is running well and we do not want to disregard safety aspects,” he said.
In addition to awaiting monitoring results from VAAC Darwin, the extension of the airport closures is also intended to give airport operators and airlines time to prepare for the resumption of flight operations.
Airport operators need to carry out inspections and cleaning of airside facilities such as the runway, taxiway, and apron. Meanwhile, airlines must ensure their aircraft are free from volcanic ash exposure before returning them to service.
The Ministry of Transportation, together with relevant agencies, will continue to monitor the development of the volcanic ash spread and the evaluation results from VAAC Darwin before making a decision on reopening airport operations.