STORY: Hundreds of passengers were stranded at Jakarta's main airport on Sunday (September 6) after an eruption of Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano forced authorities to suspend flight operations because of volcanic ash.

Many passengers complained they had not been notified of the cancellations in advance.

"If it erupted last night and there was a prediction that flights would be cancelled, we should have been told from the beginning. That way passengers wouldn't have needed to come here," said 55-year-old passenger Ersy Laksita Rini.

The airport suspended operations after volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau, which has been erupting since late Friday (September 4), was detected over the area. Indonesia's transportation ministry said the shutdown affected 209 flights, including several international services.

Anak Krakatau, which means child of Krakatau, emerged a century ago from the area once occupied by Krakatau, then known as Krakatoa. Krakatoa was destroyed in 1883, when its massive eruptions killed more than 36,000 people in a series of tsunamis.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: JAKARTA, INDONESIA (SEPTEMBER 6, 2026) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. PASSENGERS QUEUING IN FRONT OF CHECK IN COUNTERS

2. LINE OF QUEUE

3. PASSENGERS IN FRONT OF DEPARTURE HALL

4. BOARD SHOWING INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS SCHEDULES

5. BOARD SHOWING FLIGHTS’ STATUS AS CANCELLED

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) 55-YEAR-OLD PASSENGER, ERSY LAKSITA RINI, SAYING:

"If a volcano erupts, I understand that. I understand that a volcano can erupt. Even an eruption itself, I understand. The problem is, why weren't we informed? If it erupted last night and there was a prediction that flights would be cancelled, we should have been told from the beginning. That way passengers wouldn't have needed to come here. We wouldn't have needed to come here early in the morning. We could have looked for other alternatives. Some people had family members who passed away and now they can't get there, can't meet their families."

7. VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS WALKING AROUND AIRPORT TERMINAL HALL

8. VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS LOOKING AT MONITOR SHOWING FLIGHTS STATUS AS DELAYED

9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) 21-YEAR-OLD FRENCH TOURIST, ELOANN TASSET, SAYING:

"Honestly, I don't know. I think I will try to talk to somebody, maybe to have new information. I don't know. And if they told me that the flight (were) cancelled, I think I'm going to try to find a hotel in Jakarta and come tomorrow. I don't know."

10. VARIOUS OF PASSENGERS WAITING IN FRONT OF CHECK IN COUNTERS

11. PASSENGER WHO FELL ASLEEP WHILE WAITING

12. (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) 58-YEAR-OLD PASSENGER, SUHARDI, SAYING:

"Actually, it has caused losses for me because I was supposed to have activities in Lampung, and in Samarinda people were already waiting for me to sign a contract. But since this is a natural event, there's really nothing we can say about it. This is nature, after all. So I have to accept it, because when it comes to nature, there's no choice. Now I'm just waiting for the next update from the airline."

13. EXTERIOR OF DEPARTURE AREA OF SOEKARNO-HATTA TERMINAL 2

14. PASSENGERS STANDING