An eruption of Indonesia's Mount Anak Krakatau caused six airports to suspend flight operations on Sunday, affecting hundreds of flights at Jakarta's main airport.
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport suspended flight operations until 1.30pm (4:30pm AEST) due to volcanic ash, the airport posted on Instagram, stranding hundreds of passengers at the facility.
The suspension has affected 301 flights, including 58 international flights, airport operator Angkasa Pura said in a statement. Singapore Airlines said it had cancelled flights to and from Jakarta for the rest of the day.
Anak Krakatau, which is roughly halfway between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia's vast island chain, has been erupting since late on Friday, with volcanic ash detected at the airport early on Sunday, the nation's transport ministry said.
Ash reached as high as 15,000 metres on the Sumatra side and in some parts of Banten province in Java, Indonesia's meteorological agency posted on its website.
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Mount Anak Krakatau has erupted several times since 2018, when a major eruption caused the volcano's southwestern sector to collapse, dramatically reducing its size and creating a tsunami that left hundreds dead and tens of thousands injured.
The current eruption event is the fifth since 2020. None have been as damaging as the 2018 eruption.
The disaster mitigation agency said on Saturday there was no imminent risk of tsunami from the volcano. A tsunami triggered by the eruptions in 2018 killed more than 400 on Java and Sumatra.
Dispersal of volcanic ash had disrupted activities in parts of both islands, said Berton Panjaitan, a spokesperson for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, BNPB.
"BNPB urges the public to remain calm while increasing vigilance. In the event of ashfall, people are advised to wear masks and eye protection, reduce outdoor activities, cover water sources and exercise caution when driving, as volcanic ash can reduce visibility," he said.
Several schools cancelled activities on Saturday, with students and residents suffering eye irritation from the ash, while fishermen cancelled their fishing trips due to the eruption, local media outlet Kompas reported.
Some 850 km away from Anak Krakatau, Mount Semeru in East Java also erupted on Sunday, sending an ash column 1 km above the summit, said volcano monitoring agency PVMBG.
It advised residents to stay at least 5 km away from the crater and warned of the risk of hot ash clouds and lava flows up to 17 km from the summit.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire', where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are frequent.
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