Jakarta flights resume after volcanic eruption

Jakarta flights resume after volcanic eruption

2010-11-09 06:14:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) - Airlines are beginning to resume their international routes to Jakarta, Indonesia, after thousands of travelers were forced to delay and modify their plans over the weekend's canceled flights due to Mount Merapi's threatening ash clouds.

On Sunday, 50 flights were canceled, and on Saturday 36 flights had previously been canceled with Merapi's powerful eruptions, despite being 430 kilometers (267 miles) east of Jakarta.

Despite Indonesian authorities saying conditions were safe, scores of international flights were canceled, including those from Singapore Airlines, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Malaysia Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa and Japan Airlines.

By Monday, normal service had resumed at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport. However, Yogyakarta's Adisucipto International Airport remains closed as volcanic ash continues to affect the air quality at the airport.

Travelers have been forced to use alternative transport means.

As of Saturday, state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia added nine additional carriages with a combined capacity of up to 600 passengers, for services between Yogyakarta and Jakarta.

The death toll after Mount Merapi's eruptions rose to 141 on Monday as more bodies, including some from rescuers, were recovered from nearby villages affected by the powerful eruption on Friday.

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