"Today, Komodo Airport is declared closed for flights until 8:00 p.m. (local time) following the issuance of NOTAM (notice to air missions)," Head of the Komodo Labuan Bajo Airport Management Unit Ceppy Triono said.
The airport closure has resulted in the cancellation of 30 flights, he added.
The NOTAM was issued by considering the direction of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki's volcanic ash that has moved to cover the entire airspace above Flores Island. The condition is dangerous for aviation safety, he said, adding that the issuance of NOTAM involved such parties as the airport authority, AirNav, Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), and all airlines.
Meanwhile, Head of the Komodo Meteorological Station Maria Seran said that the BMKG information on potential spread of the volcanic ash, as revealed by real-time satellite data, has been taken into consideration for declaring the airport's temporary closure.
"Satellite monitoring for the last 1-2 hours has shown that the spread of volcanic ash from the Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki eruption remains airborne in the airspace of West Manggarai," she said.
The spread of the volcanic ash was monitored to have covered wider areas of the southern region, Sumba Island and the eastern part of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).
BMKG, she continued, appealed to the people of West Manggarai to start wearing masks when doing outdoor activities by considering the spread of the volcanic ash for public health-related reasons.
Previously, due to the spread of volcanic ash from Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, Komodo Labuan Bajo Airport was temporarily closed on Monday (Nov 4) and reopened on Tuesday (Nov 5).
The temporary closure of the airport was carried out again on Saturday afternoon (Nov 9) until Sunday morning (Nov 10) at 7:00 a.m. (local time).
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Translator: Gecio Viana, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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