Merauke Airport shut down due to volcanic eruption in PNG

Jayapura, 1/8 (Antara) - The Merauke airport in Papua Province was shut down Friday evening, following the eruption of Mount Manam in neighboring Papua New Guinea (PNG). Head of the Merauke airport management Asri Santoso said here on Saturday that the airport was closed at 10 pm after receiving reports that volcanic ash was heading in a westward direction. A number of flights were delayed or cancelled at the airport, which is expected to resume operations on Saturday at 10 am local time.