JAKARTA — Indonesia’s main airport and three others postponed reopening on Monday after halting operations following a volcanic eruption that left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded.

Mount Anak Krakatau, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, erupted on Saturday, spewing a fountain of lava and a plume of volcanic ash.

Eight airports halted operations over the weekend after ash was detected in their airspace, disrupting thousands of flights and leaving more than 270,000 passengers stranded, the transport ministry reported Monday.

“These figures are the cumulative operational impact since September 5, 2026 and cover flights that have been cancelled, delayed, or diverted,” the ministry said in a statement.

Italian tourist Michel Miegge was on holiday with his girlfriend and due to fly home in time for work on Tuesday, but their flight was cancelled.

“We don’t have any news from the airline. We don’t know if we stay another day in Jakarta or find another flight,” the 32-year-old software engineer told AFP.

“I don’t think it’s possible now. We found a nearby hotel, but we saw that many hotels were fully booked.”

Another tourist, French painter Carol Odile, said she came with a group of friends to see Komodo dragons in Flores when she was notified that her flight was cancelled.

“We are disappointed, but our group is optimistic. We hope we can go to Flores Island very soon,” the 60-year-old told AFP.