Abdulrachman Saleh Malang Airport Returns To Operation Post-Based Abu Semeru

A number of prospective passengers when entering the Abdulrachman Saleh Airport terminal, in Pakis District, Malang Regency, East Java, Friday (12/1/2024). ANTARA/Vicki Febrianto.

Abdulrachman Saleh Airport in Malang Regency, East Java, is back in operation after being temporarily closed due to the spread of volcanic ash from Mount Semeru which erupted on Thursday (11/1).

Head of the Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) of Abd Saleh Malang Airport, Purwo Cahyo Widhiatmoko, said the airport was closed for approximately two hours due to the spread of volcanic ash from Mount Semeru.

"Flight activities at Abd Saleh Airport Malang from 09.00-11.00 WIB are closed on the grounds of flight safety," Purwo said as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, January 12.

Purwo explained that the decision to reopen the activities of Abd Saleh Malang Airport was carried out after monitoring was carried out regarding the spread of Mount Semeru's volcanic ash every 30 minutes after the closure of activity.

According to him, the condition of the airport on Friday (12/1) morning, it was found that there was a spread of volcanic ash at the airport located in Pakis District, so it was decided to close flight activities for safety reasons.

"Yes, this morning (Mount Semeru) arrived at the airport area. Then we continued to monitor, after being declared negative and an evaluation was carried out, then we reopened," he said.

The closure of Abd Saleh Malang Airport due to the spread of volcanic ash is important because ash from the volcano can endanger safety if it enters the aircraft engine or other parts.

"For volcanic ash this morning, it was deemed dangerous for flights and worrying for safety if it entered the engine or other parts of the plane," he said.

The Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) reported that the operation of Abdulrachman Saleh Airport in Malang Regency was temporarily closed as a result of the volcanic ash of Mount Semeru which was detected based on field observations.

The observation was in the form of a paper test conducted on Friday, 08.00-08.20 WIB. The temporary suspension of this airport was announced throughNotice to Airmen (Notam) with Number C0079/24 NOTAMC C0063/24 starting at 10.00 WIB.

The Airport Authority of Region III Surabaya, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, will continue to monitor and address the development of the situation in the form of field observations carried out at intervals of 30 minutes to 1 hour at several points around the airport.

The Ministry of Transportation urges airlines to compensate passengers who have purchased tickets, including full refund, reschedule, and re-route options to the nearest airport if seats are still available.