TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State air navigation company AirNav Indonesia on Sunday is constantly updating safety measures for the aviation industry following the sudden eruption of Mount Semeru in East Java. Aircrafts traveling over Indonesian air space are advised to reroute to the Northern area of Java Island.

Semeru suddenly erupted on Saturday, December 4, at 15:32 Western Indonesia Time (WIB) producing a large amount of hot clouds and cold lava streams ransacking the volcanic mountain’s vicinity, Bisnis.com reported.

AirNav secretary Rosedi explained that the company has coordinated with airports in Ujung Pandang, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Central Java, and East Java and advised flights to take the W33 route or south of Surabaya. The company has issued a number of ASH NOTAM (ASHTAM) with its latest dated on Sunday.

“We also direct aircraft flying on the route above Mount Semeru to fly over the route to the north of Java Island,” he wrote in a statement on Sunday, December 5.

ASHTAM 2176 with red alert status identifies zero volcanic ash from satellite images. Juanda–Surabaya, Yogyakarta International Airport, Notohadinegoro–Jember, Banyuwangi International Airport, and Abdul Rahman Saleh–Malang reported zero volcanic ashes from Semeru so far.

"No flight routes were affected by the spread of volcanic ash and there are no flight schedules that are affected by the eruption of Mount Semeru," he added.

Read: Experts 'Surprised' By Scale of Mount Semeru Eruption

BISNIS.COM