Adi Sumarno Airport Closed following Mount Merapi Eruption
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3 March 2020 10:46 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Solo - Mount Merapi reportedly erupted this morning, Tuesday, March 3 and spewed ash columns reaching Boyolali, Solo, and vicinity areas, including Adi Sumarno Airport.
The volcanic ash forced the airport operator Angkasa Pura I (API ) to close the area temporarily for the sake of flight safety. “We are closed until noon,” said the AP I spokesman for Adi Sumarno Airport, Danar Dewi, Tuesday, March 3.
The airport was shut down starting 09:10 a.m. local time and will be reopened at 11:30 a.m. local time if the condition is improved.
Despite the airport closure, Dewi explained, there were only three flights affected. The flight of Lion Air to Jakarta with a departure time of 09:45 a.m. was delayed, while Garuda Indonesia’s flight with a tail number GA222 from Cengkareng, Jakarta and AirAsia’s flight of QZ8454 from Denpasar were canceled.
According to Dewi, the airport will return to operate normally after the condition is declared safe. “We predict that the airport will be reopened at 11:30 a.m.,” she said.
AHMAD RAFIQ