Earlier, several flights between El Tari Kupang Airport on Timor Island and multiple airports on Flores Island, where the volcano is located, were disrupted by the volcanic activity.
"Those two airports are located in Ende and Bajawa," Acting Official (Pgs) of Legal, Compliance & Stakeholder Relations for El Tari Kupang Airport I Gusti Ngurah Yudi Saputra remarked here on Thursday.
Meanwhile, he noted that the airport in Maumere, Sikka District, located on Flores Island, remains closed as volcanic ash continues to affect the airspace over the district.
However, Saputra stated that the operations of the airports in Ende and Bajawa are still subject to ongoing monitoring of local conditions.
"If another eruption occurs and volcanic ash spreads across the area, the airports may need to halt their operations again," he explained.
Airnav, a state-owned air navigation company, confirmed that the decision to reopen the two airports was made after paper tests showed negative results for volcanic ash.
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This test involves placing sheets of black paper in the affected area to visually check for the accumulation of volcanic ash falling from the air.
"The results of the paper tests at H. Hasan Aroeboesman Airport in Ende and Soa Bajawa Airport both returned negative results for volcanic ash," General Manager of the Airnav Kupang Branch I Nyoman Oka Wirawa stated.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted on Tuesday, June 17, sending an ash column up to 10 thousand meters (approximately 32,800 feet) above its peak, or about 11,584 meters (38 thousand feet) above sea level.
A thick gray ash plume was observed dispersing in nearly all directions. Despite the high intensity of the eruption, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) confirmed that there were no casualties from the disaster.
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Translator: Kornelis Kaha, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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