Volcanic ash continues to disrupt flights in Indonesia, thousands stranded

Thousands of passengers were stranded as Indonesian authorities extended the closure of seven 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, officials and 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.

"At this point, around 2,300 flights have been affected and approximately 270,000 passengers have been impacted by the volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau," Berton Panjaitan, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, told Anadolu in a statement on Monday.

Initially, eight airports halted operations Sunday, after ash was detected in their airspace.

As of 9 am (0200GMT) Monday, seven airports remain affected and temporarily closed, while Atung Bungsu Airport in Pagar Alam has resumed normal operations, he added.

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

"The status of these airports is continuously reviewed based on volcanic ash dispersion and aviation safety," he added.

"Our priority is safety, and we will resume normal operations as soon as conditions are safe."