Indonesia extends airport closures as volcanic ash disrupts flights

Tens of thousands of passengers were stranded as Indonesian authorities extended the closure of four airports, including Jakarta's main airport, to 6 pm local time (1100GMT) Monday after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau forced them to halt operations, local media reported.

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport remained crowded Monday morning following the temporary suspension of hundreds of flights over concerns about volcanic ash, local English-language daily Jakarta Globe reported.

Mount Anak Krakatau, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) from Jakarta, erupted Saturday, sending a plume of volcanic ash into the sky.

Long queues of passengers seeking refunds or rescheduled flights were seen at the airports. Many flights were pushed back to Tuesday.

A total of eight airports halted operations Sunday after ash was detected in their airspace, disrupting over 1,000 flights and leaving more than 170,000 passengers stranded.

Authorities termed the airport closures a precautionary measure based on aviation safety considerations.