Stranded for days, over 340,000 passengers can finally breathe again. Major airports in Indonesia are back open after the Anak Krakatau volcano threw travel plans into chaos, but don’t expect everything to be back to normal just yet.

Good news for stranded travellers! After days of absolute chaos, Indonesia's major airports have finally reopened, according to cbinews.tv.

If you’ve been following the story, you’ll know Anak Krakatau, yes, Child of Krakatau, had a massive eruption on Saturday that grounded nearly 3,000 flights and left more than 340,000 passengers stuck.

As reported by cbinews.tv, five airports including Jakarta’s main hub, Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, have now reopened after authorities cleared volcanic ash from runways and critical infrastructure.

But Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi is asking everyone to be patient.

“We will be operating these aircraft, but before we do so, we want to ensure their airworthiness. So, it may take a bit of extra time,” he said, referring to the nearly 180 jets currently sitting at Soekarno–Hatta.

“We ask for a little patience from passengers and the public, as we will be carrying out inspections to ensure that these aircraft are fit to fly.”

Airport operator Angkasa Pura Indonesia also confirmed in a statement that ash has been cleared and the facilities are now safe for flights. In fact, three planes had already taken off shortly after reopening early Tuesday morning, including two commercial flights to eastern Indonesia.

At the airport, the relief was real. One Indonesian businessman, Heri, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, told AFP he was meant to fly to Egypt on Monday.

“I’m relieved,” said the 52-year-old who rushed to the airport as soon as he heard it reopened. “I was worried for a while. To go abroad, we must prepare everything well in advance… That’s what had us concerned, because we couldn’t do things in a hurry and everything was still unclear.”

Japanese tourist Nozomi, 37, who was in Indonesia for a family holiday, said the closure left her confused with little information from authorities.

“I hope things stay like this, no delays, no closing airports. I hope everyone can go where they want to go,” she said.

And the volcano isn’t done yet. According to the head of the national Geology Agency, Lana Saria, Anak Krakatau, which sits in the strait between Java and Sumatra, erupted at least three times on Tuesday morning alone.

For context, this volcano emerged from the sea nearly a century ago in the caldera left after the infamous 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatau. In 2018, a collapse triggered a tsunami that killed over 400 people.

For now, flights are moving again, but checks are still ongoing.

Credit: cbinews.tv

#Indonesia #AnakKrakatau #VolcanoEruption #Jakarta #FlightUpdate #TravelNews #CBINewsTV #BreakingNews