Another volcanic eruption has shut down a major airport in Indonesia, this time, just before the Eid holiday rush.
Ash plumes have been the cause of delay for millions of air travelers from the world's most Muslim-populated country. Many were planning to go home to their villages or hometowns to celebrate Eid with their loved ones.
The Juanda Airport near Surabaya, located in the main island of Java, was closed from 1:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (9:30 p.m. Singapore time) on July 16, due to the continuous eruption of Mt. Raung. According to Liza Anindya, a spokeswoman from the airport, officials were concerned that the ash plumes would affect the flights mid-air.
Experts say that ash does not only cloud visibility, but it also damages aircraft when it gets sucked in by the engines as molten glass.
Last month, Mt. Raung started to emit lava and clouds of ash. Authorities then raised the status of alert of the volcano to the second-highest level. About 180 kilometers (approx. 112 miles) west of Surabaya, Mt. Raung, which has been erupting for weeks now, caused officials to shut down the airport serving the second-biggest city in Indonesia.
The Juanda Airport is one of a few other Indonesian airports that were greatly affected by the recent violent eruptions of Mt. Raung.
On July 15, another volcanic eruption caused delays in flights to and from Bali, where about 4,000 Australians were stranded. Virgin Australia had to add extra flights after the morning's delays.
Last week, the same airport in Bali, the Ngurah Rai Airport, had the record for the longest shutdown when it remained closed for two days, due to ash plumes.
"With the winds being quite variable, the ash has been taken a lot of different directions," said Rebecca Patrick of the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC).
From what was seen in the satellite imagery, ash had started to dissipate, traveling to the east. Patrick said this was good news for those who had plans of traveling to Bali on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the disaster agency, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said smoke had gone up 6,500 feet into the air on Thursday, but the evacuation of residents was not necessary.
Air traffic is regularly interrupted in Indonesia due to its 130 active volcanoes.
