Mount Ruang eruption, Sam Ratulangi Airport temporarily closed

The eruption of Mount Ruang, North Sulawesi, resulted in the temporary closure of Sam Ratulangi Airport. Flight cancelled.

DOKUMENTASI BPBD SITARO

The condition of Mount Ruang in the district of Kepulauan Siau Tagulandang Biaro (Sitaro) in North Sulawesi, which erupted volcanic ash rain on Wednesday (17/4/2024).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The eruption of Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi has resulted in the temporary closure of Sam Ratulangi International Airport, Manado, North Sulawesi. In order to prioritize safety, the flight airline canceled its scheduled flight departures.

The operationalization of Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado has been temporarily closed due to the eruption of Mount Ruang in the Sitaro Islands regency, North Sulawesi. The closure is based on the air message or ASHTAM number VAWR7240 dated Wednesday (17/4/2024) at 19:26 Wita, for the next 24 hours until Thursday (18/4/2024).

"We must suspend the operations of Sam Ratulangi Airport due to the spread of volcanic ash that can endanger flight safety," said Ambar Suryoko, Head of the VIII Airport Authority Office in Manado, in a written statement from Manado on Thursday (18/4/2024).

Also read: More than 11,000 people need to be evacuated due to the eruption of Mount Ruang

They will monitor and supervise the development of the situation at Mount Ruang as well as its impact on several surrounding airports periodically. Field observations are conducted with intervals of 30 to 60 minutes at several points around the airport.

”This incident is a force majeure situation. "I hope that the public, especially prospective passengers, can understand if there are flight delays and cancellations," said Ambar.

DOKUMENTASI KEMENTERIAN PERHUBUNGAN

The situation at Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado, North Sulawesi, which temporarily closed due to the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro Regency, North Sulawesi on Thursday (18/4/2024). As a result, several flights from several airlines were cancelled.

Ambar continued, currently there are five departures and four arrivals affected. They have pending, cancelled, and redirected status.

Airlines are encouraged to provide compensation to passengers who have purchased tickets, including options for full refunds, rescheduling and diversion to the nearest airport. The hope is that this effort can help passengers affected by airport closures.

Also read: Beware of the Potential for a Tsunami due to the Eruption of Mount Ruang

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) has issued Circular Letter (SE) Number 15 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of Flights in Force Majeure Conditions. Not only that, the Ministry of Transportation has also released Decree of the Director General of Civil Aviation Number 153 of 2019. This decision contains procedures and procedures for collaborative handling of the impact of volcanic ash on flight operations. These two letters serve as guidelines for handling this crisis.

I hope that the public, especially prospective passengers, can understand if there are flight delays and cancellations.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and coordinate with relevant stakeholders in handling this force majeure so that we can take the necessary steps for flight safety, security and comfort," said Ambar .

DOKUMENTASI BPBD SITARO

The eruption of Mount Ruang in the Kepulauan Siau Tagulandang Biaro (Sitaro) Regency in North Sulawesi occurred on Tuesday night (16/4/2024). Hundreds of residents were evacuated.

Previously, Mount Ruang erupted on Wednesday from noon until evening. The eruption reached a height of 3 kilometers in the form of lava bursts or hot clouds.

The area around the mountain within a radius of 6 km is evacuated. At least there are 11,000 residents who have to evacuate temporarily. Volcanic rocks were thrown as far as residents’ houses, even beyond the 6 km radius (Kompas.id, 18/4/2024).

Flight cancellation

As a result of the closure of Sam Ratulangi Airport, several airlines have experienced changes and even cancellations in flight schedules. This effort is a form of prioritizing aviation safety and security.

Danang Mandala, the Corporate Communications Strategic of Lion Group, stated that Lion Group's flights to and from Sam Ratulangi International Airport have been cancelled. Impacted routes include Jakarta, Surabaya, Balikpapan, Makassar, Sorong, Gorontalo, Kao, Labuha, Luwuk, Melonguane, Palu, Tahuna, and Ternate.

"Lion Group has informed all passengers about the temporary flight cancellations due to the eruption of Mount Ruang. Lion Group will accommodate passengers' requests for flight schedule changes, in accordance with the applicable regulations for affected passengers," said Danang.

In addition, 12 Batik Air flights taking off from Kuala Lumpur to Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia, were canceled due to the eruption of Mount Ruang. The airline offered several alternative flights to affected passengers.

PT Citilink Indonesia did something similar. At least three flights were affected so they had to be suspended from departing on Friday (19/4/2024).

Three Citilink flights had to reschedule their departures from and arrivals to Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport in Makassar (UPG) and Sam Ratulangi International Airport (MDC). Specifically, the flights are QG307 UPG-MDC, QG306 MDC-UPG, and QG9306 MDC-UPG.

The Head of Corporate Secretary and CSR Division of Citilink, Haza Ibnu, stated that the local authorities of Sam Ratulangi Airport have closed the airport at least until Thursday (April 18th, 2024) at 23:59 Wita.

"We continue to coordinate with local authorities, namely the airport management; Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics Council; as well as Airnav regarding developments in conditions from the impact of the eruption and notice local authorities at Sam Ratulangi Airport," said Haza.

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