Volcanic ash forced the airport to close.
12 Juli 2016 18:19
Brilio.net/en - Abdul Rahman Saleh Airport in Malang, East Java, is fully operational again after it was forced to close due to fallout from the eruption of nearby Mount Bromo.
The volcano in Probolinggo, East Java, erupted on Monday, sending ash high into the air, which was carried south-by-southwest towards Malangs airport. Volcanic ash can cause havoc in plane engines.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the head of PR at Indonesias National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said the airport officially reopened at 8.40 a.m. on Tuesday after pilots and airlines received an official notice that it was safe to fly again.
"Today's (12/7) flights to and from Malang has returned to normal. The volcanic ash from the eruption is no longer seen as the wind lead the volcanic ash to the southwest-south of the airtport and surrounding areas," Sutopo said in a release received by Brilio.
Mount Bromo is now at the second level of a four-rung alert system, meaning authorities have declared a 1-kilometer danger zone around the crater, warning hikers and locals to stay away.
Visual reports from the Mount Bromo Observation Post, run by the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG), said crater smoke was coming out at a medium-strong pressure, with a column of ash rising 300-800 meters above the summit and drifting south-by-southwest.
Seismicity has increased since Monday but there is no sign of a major eruption.
