12 Flight Cancelled From Jakarta On Volcanic Eruption

Tangerang, Banten, Feb 14 (Antara) - At least 12 flights from Jakarta`s Soekarno-Hatta airport to Surabaya`s Djuanda airport were cancelled on Friday on volcanic ashes spewed by Mount Kelud in East Java. The first flight from Soekarno Hatta airport to Djuanda airport should take off at 07.00 local time, General Affair manager of the Soekarno-Hatta branch of state airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II Yudis Setiawan said on Friday The 1,730 meter tall volcano erupted on Thursday night spreading volcanic ashed as far as Magelang in Central Java, more than 120 kilometers away. The eruption sent hundreds of local people fleeing to safer areas, local authorities said. Yudis said he could not say when flight could be resumed, but it could take days depending on the condition. Among the airlines cancelling flights include Garuda Airline, Lion Air, Citilink, Air Asia and Sriwijaya Air. Yudis said the number of cancelled flights could increase, adding passngers were already notified .