Sam Ratulangi Manado Airport Is Still Closed Due to Ruang Volcano Eruption

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Sam Ratulangi Manado Airport will temporarily be closed until Saturday, May 4 at 18:00 Central Indonesia Time (WITA) due to the eruption of Mount Ruang.

The extension of the temporary closure of the airport was based on the monitoring of volcanic ash activity. Based on the monitoring, the airspace around Sam Ratulangi Airport has been declared unsafe for flights due to the eruption of Mount Ruang some time ago.

"In order to maintain flight safety, the operation of Sam Ratulangi Manado Airport will be temporarily closed until Saturday, May 4 at 18:00 WITA," said the head of Airport Authority Office of Manado Region VIII, Ambar Suryoko, in a statement on Friday, May 3.

He said the airport authority will continue to monitor and supervise the volcano's development and impact on the operations of nearby airports. The Airport Authority Office of Manado Region VIII is working with stakeholders regarding the volcanic ash to ensure flight safety. The temporary closure will be extended if the situation remains unchanged. 

"I hope people can understand because this is a force majeure situation. Especially for would-be passengers, please understand if there are flight cancellations," Ambar said.

Despite the closure of Sam Ratulangi Manado Airport due to the volcanic eruption, several other airports in Sulawesi have returned to normal operations after being affected by the spread of Mount Ruang volcanic ash. The airports include Gorontalo Airport, Naha Airport, Siau Airport, Bolaang Mongondow Airport and Pohuwato Airport.

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