Interior of Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
Ash cloud from Krakatau eruption grounds hundreds of Asian flights
Volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau has caused 2,927 flight delays and 584 cancellations across Asia, including at Delhi and Mumbai airports.
An ash cloud from Indonesia’s erupting Mount Anak Krakatau grounded and delayed hundreds of flights across Asia on Tuesday, with Delhi and Mumbai among the affected cities.
The overall toll across the region reached 2,927 delayed flights and 584 cancellations, spanning major hubs in India, Japan, China and Southeast Asia.
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport reported 177 delays and 4 cancellations; Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport reported 245 delays and 3 cancellations.
IndiGo and Air India, India’s largest carriers, logged 258 and 114 delayed flights respectively, along with 9 and 2 cancellations.
The volcano first erupted on September 4 and Indonesian authorities have kept it at Alert Level III, citing continued eruption risk.
Etihad Airways and SpiceJet were among the international and domestic carriers reporting delays on services to and from Delhi and Mumbai during the disruption.
Volcanic ash poses a direct safety hazard to jet engines, which is why aviation authorities impose ground restrictions and altitude diversions rather than allowing aircraft to fly through affected airspace.
Garuda Indonesia and Batik Air, the two largest carriers based in the affected region, reported the heaviest cancellation rates of any airline tracked in the disruption.
Airlines advised passengers travelling through affected hubs to check flight status directly with carriers before heading to the airport, as ash-related restrictions were being updated through the day.
Mount Anak Krakatau, in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait, began erupting on September 4, triggering a five-day aviation shutdown that closed eight Indonesian airports and stranded more than 270,000 passengers.
Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport recorded the highest number of cancellations in the region, with 207 flights called off as ash plumes drifted over the airspace.
Tokyo’s Haneda Airport recorded the highest delay count of any single airport, with 394 delayed flights as congestion rippled across connecting hubs.
Shanghai Pudong International Airport also reported disruption, logging 178 delays and 8 cancellations as the ash cloud affected regional air corridors.
Interior of Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Wikimedia Commons, CC0