SOEKARNO-HATTA SHUT DOWN? HERE'S YOUR FREE BUS OUT
Soekarno-Hatta airport closed due to volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau. Here's how to grab the free bus to Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang, or Surabaya.
Anak Krakatau's ash cloud grounded 209 flights and 22,798 passengers over the weekend. InJourney Airports responded with something Jakarta rarely sees: a free ride.
At a Glance
- 209 flights cancelled, affecting 22,798 passengers on September 6, 2026
- 8 airports closed across West Java and Banten, including Soekarno-Hatta (CGK), Halim, and Husein Sastranegara
- 8 free buses running to 4 cities: Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang, Surabaya
- 2 daily departures: 14:00 and 18:00 WIB
Ash doesn't care about your boarding pass. When Gunung Anak Krakatau sent a lava fountain skyward on the night of September 4, the shockwaves hit harder than expected by early Sunday morning, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport (CGK) was closed under NOTAM A3341/26, and it wouldn't be the last closure of the day.
What happened, and who does it affect?
Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten, shut down operations intermittently from September 6, 2026, after a "paper test" confirmed volcanic ash particles in the vicinity. Ditjen Perhubungan Udara (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) and AirNav Indonesia extended the closure multiple times throughout the day, eventually pushing it to 21:30 WIB. Domestic and international travelers with flights to and from Singapore, Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul, Doha, Amsterdam, and Kuala Lumpur were all affected, alongside domestic routes to Denpasar, Surabaya, and Lampung.
How much does the free bus cost, and who runs it?
It's free genuinely, not a promotional gimmick. InJourney Airports, the state operator managing Soekarno-Hatta, partnered with Damri to run buses toward Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang, and Surabaya for domestic passengers stranded by the closure. Registration opened at Posko T1C (Terminal 1), Posko T2E (Terminal 2), and the Gate 3 domestic departure post at Terminal 3, in two windows: 10:00–13:00 and 16:00–17:00 WIB.
The buses drop passengers directly at each city's airport Adi Sutjipto (Yogyakarta), Adi Soemarmo (Solo), Jenderal Ahmad Yani (Semarang), and Juanda (Surabaya) with departures scheduled for 14:00 and 18:00 WIB.
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What are the backup airports if Soekarno-Hatta stays closed?
Here's the part most travelers miss: the Ministry of Transportation (Kementerian Perhubungan) quietly activated three alternative airports Kertajati in West Java, Ahmad Yani in Semarang, and Juanda in Surabaya specifically to keep Jakarta-bound traffic moving. Two Garuda Indonesia flights from Jeddah and Madinah were already rerouted to Kertajati, which, at time of inspection, remained ash-free.
That's the counterintuitive fact worth sharing: Indonesia's newest, least-hyped airport just became the emergency valve for the country's busiest one.
The smell of jet fuel mixed with sulfur hung over Terminal 3 as officials handed out snacks and bottled water to stranded passengers a small but telling detail of just how fast "routine delay" became "full evacuation logistics."
