"The airport is operating normally today," said Ceppy Triono, head of the Komodo Airport management unit.
The airport had temporarily suspended its services on Monday around 16:00 local time after a paper test indicated exposure to volcanic ash from Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki’s eruption.
Triono explained that paper tests have been conducted regularly since Monday to ensure that all flights to and from the airport are safe from volcanic ash hazards.
He added that the paper test conducted by airport authorities early Tuesday, from 2:00 to 6:30 local time, showed negative results for volcanic ash exposure.
"A NOTAM (official notification) has been issued to allow the airport to resume operations," he said.
Komodo Airport is scheduled to handle 12 flights on Tuesday.
Separately, head of the Komodo Meteorological Station, Maria Seran, noted that recent observations from the Himawari satellite system detected no volcanic particulates over West Manggarai's airspace, enabling safe air traffic resumption.
"However, we continue to monitor the eruption closely and are committed to notifying aviation stakeholders about any spread of volcanic ash to ensure preventive flight safety measures," she explained.
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) will inform the public if ash from the volcano affects community activities.
"West Manggarai is quite far from Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, so volcanic ash has not impacted community activities or tourism," Seran stated.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted on Monday at 2:48 local time. The eruption was recorded on a seismogram with a maximum amplitude of 17 millimeters and a duration of about three minutes and five seconds.
Current data indicate that 2,735 families, or 10,295 residents, were affected by the eruption, resulting in nine fatalities and one person in critical condition.
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Translator: Gecio Viana, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Anton Santoso
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