On the evening of 4/9, the Anak Krakatau volcano, situated between Java and Sumatra islands, erupted, blanketing Jakarta and surrounding areas with ash. This incident forced 7 airports in Indonesia to close, including two serving the capital Jakarta. Approximately 2,300 flights were delayed, canceled, or diverted, impacting over 270,000 passengers.

Thu Trang from Hanoi, a tourist who arrived in Indonesia for the 2/9 holiday, found herself in a continuous cycle of moving between her hotel and Soekarno-Hatta airport. Her 1:30 AM flight to Hanoi on 6/9 was rescheduled. According to Trang, passengers boarded the plane on the morning of 6/9, but it unexpectedly turned back, waiting for over one hour before the crew asked everyone to return to the terminal.

Soekarno-Hatta airport on the morning of 8/9. Photo: Thu Trang

By 12h on the same day, the airport reopened, allowing passengers to leave while awaiting new flight schedules. Trang stated that airline ground staff announced a rescheduling to 9h on 7/9. However, on 7/9, the flight schedule was further postponed three times: to 11h, 15h, and 21h, as the airport remained closed.

At 0:40 on 8/9, the Jakarta airport website announced its reopening. Trang returned to the airport at 1h, where she was told to wait until 3:30. At the appointed time, she returned to the counter but found no airline staff. Later that morning, she checked the Flightradar24 application, surprised to see her flight listed as having departed at 7h and en route to Hanoi, despite receiving no email from the airline or the booking application.

By 11h on 8/9, Trang was still at Soekarno-Hatta airport, having received no response from the airline. Her incurred expenses during the three-day delay totaled about 4 million dong, and the constant travel between the airport and hotel left her exhausted, with unfinished work awaiting her in Hanoi.

"I am very tired and want to go home", she said, expressing confusion over the inconsistent announcements from various parties.

Duy Manh, another Hanoi tourist, and his group, who had been traveling in Indonesia since 28/8, nearly faced a similar situation. His plan was to fly a domestic leg from Surabaya to Jakarta on 6/9, then connect to Hanoi. The total cost for both segments was approximately 4 million dong, as he had secured discounted tickets six months prior.

Duy Manh photographed at Fort Canning Tree Tunnel on the morning of 8/9 before heading to the airport for Vietnam. Photo: Duy Manh

On 6/9, all flights from Surabaya to Jakarta were canceled. His international segment from Jakarta to Vietnam was postponed to 8/9, while the Surabaya - Jakarta leg was moved to 9/9. Needing to urgently address work in Vietnam and lacking travel insurance, Manh abandoned his original tickets to find an alternative route via a third country.

On the morning of 7/9, he booked a flight from Surabaya to Singapore for 8,5 million dong. That afternoon, he flew to Changi airport in Singapore, connecting to Vietnam on 8/9.

"Even though the ticket price was too high, I still feel lucky to have made it back to Vietnam", he said.

Indonesian Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi stated that the duration of airport closures and flight delays/cancellations could not be determined due to complex weather developments. Meanwhile, an Indonesian volcanologist described this eruption as an "unusual phenomenon". Strong winds and dry weather caused volcanic ash containing sulfur and silica to spread widely, potentially posing a danger to aircraft engines.

On the morning of 7/9, Vietjet Air announced flight time adjustments for four daily flights due to volcanic ash and Jakarta airport's closure. By 17h, the airline announced the suspension of four flights as Jakarta airport remained closed.

Vietnam Airlines adjusted its flight schedule for 8/9 for flights to and from Jakarta. Flight VN631 (TP HCM - Jakarta) was moved to 11:45; flight VN630 (Jakarta - TP HCM) to 17:30; flight VN247 (Hanoi - TP HCM) to 12:05 (local time).

Hoai Anh