Indonesian Flights Disrupted by Merapi Volcano

(11/8/2010)

Because of volcanic activity surrounding Mt. Merapi in Central Java, flight operations were disrupted in a number of locations across Indonesia. Volcanic dust has caused a series of short-term closures of Yogyakarta's Adi Sucipto and Solo's Adi Sumarmo airports. Concerned that easterly winds would bring volcanic ash to Indonesia's capital, a number of international airlines had briefly suspended flight operation to Jakarta. By Monday, November 8th, international flights to Jakarta were largely back to normal.

Follow-on effects of these fight disruptions was also felt in Bali where scheduled flights between Denpasar (Bali) and Yogyakarta began to be suspended commencing from Thursday, November 4, 2010.

Quoted by Kompas.com, the general manager of PT Angkasa Pura I, the state-owned company that manages Bali's Ngurah Rai Airport, Heru Kegowo, confirmed that flights from Bali to Yogyakarta were cancelled due to the closure of Adi Sucipto airport. Angkasa Pura data revealed that all airlines flying from Bali to Yogyakarta were cancelled from November 4 to 10, 2010. Sherly Yunita, a public relations officer of Angkasa Pura said, "Lion Air cancelled one flight each day, Mandala cancelled one flight a day and Garuda cancelled two flights every day."

At one point over the weekend, AirAsia momentarily suspended all flights operating between Bali and Jakarta, later resuming their normal schedule between these two destinations.