Mount Ruang Eruption: Manado's Sam Ratulangi Airport Closure Extended

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado is still temporarily closed today due to the eruption of Mount Ruang in the Sitaro Islands Regency, North Sulawesi. The closure is in place until 6 p.m. local time (GMT+8).

"[The airport] is closed until 6 p.m. today, [the situation]is dynamic since it’s a natural disaster,” said the Head of the International Cooperation, Public Relations, and General Affairs, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Mokhammad Khusnu, when contacted by Tempo via telephone on Friday, April 19, 2024.

Khusnu explained that the airport was also closed until midnight on Thursday. Initially, ASHTAM number VAWR7240 informed that the airport would be closed for operations until 07:26 p.m. local time yesterday.

According to him, the airport was closed since volcanic ash propelled by Mount Ruang could endanger flights.

"This situation is a force majeure (natural disaster) so I hope that the public, especially passengers, can understand if there are flight delays and cancellations. Currently, 5 departures and 4 arrivals are delayed, canceled, and diverted," he said.

Khusnu said his side has urged airlines to compensate passengers with the option of a full refund, reschedule, or re-route to the nearest airport if seats are still available. “To help the passengers affected by the closure of the airport operations, he said.

When asked about the condition of airport infrastructure during the Ruang Volcano eruption, Khusnu said the airport was mostly unaffected barring the disruptive volcanic ash.

His side evaluates Mount Ruang’s condition regularly using tools provided by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency. “Or simply put white paper to check if there’s volcanic ash,” he said. 

DESTY LUTHFIANI

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