thaia345 From Indonesia, joined Oct 2006, 814 posts, RR: 17 Posted (2 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 18 hours ago) and read 6541 times:
Hey Guys,
Due to volcanic activity, SQ MH and CX (those that I have checked) are cancelling all their CGK flights due to ash clouds from the continous eruption of Mt Merapi.
Not too sure on other airlines as i have not checked their websites. More input will be appreciated. Anyone know anything affecting GA flight ops?
HB-IWC From Greece, joined Sep 2000, 4414 posts, RR: 76 Reply 2, posted (2 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 17 hours ago) and read 6133 times:
Not all SQ flights have been cancelled. Only afternoon and evening flights have been affected by the cancellations. Other airlines cancelling flights include kl, LH, TK, MH and CX. GA operations are continuing as normal but the situation is being closely monitored and CGK could be closed in the course of the later afternoon and evening.
thaia345 From Indonesia, joined Oct 2006, 814 posts, RR: 17 Reply 4, posted (2 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 5890 times:
Actually yesterday i just got back from SUB to CGK. and since the eruption all CGKSUB flights take a more northerly route to SUB resulting in an approximately 12 mins longer flights time, no real issue. DIdn't realise that the situation got so bad today.
How about flights from Asia to Australia? these flights usually overfly Jawa.
Baroque From Australia, joined Apr 2006, 15380 posts, RR: 60 Reply 5, posted (2 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 5815 times:
Quoting thaia345 (Reply 4): How about flights from Asia to Australia? these flights usually overfly Jawa.
Last week, QF 42 took off with an "on schedule" arrival time, but as soon as it got airborne, it was listed 35 mins late. That is about the time added if you go from CGK over SUB to Bali rather than over Yogya, but "herself" did not follow the track of the plane, so this is inference and not direct observation. It could also have been weaker jet streams than usual, but that did not accord with our jet stream maps, there was a fairly active one over central Aus at the time.
In early Oct, I was on QF32!!! and it too went N to SUB rather than taking a closer look at Merapi!! And as you write, usually they would have headed further S over central Jawa.
The wind gradients over Jawa look pretty weak at present and the rains must be enough to wash a fair amount of the ash out of the atmosphere. But no report of dirty rain from Bandung, so it is probably mainly falling out closer to the volcano.
EPA001 From Netherlands, joined Sep 2006, 3594 posts, RR: 36 Reply 6, posted (2 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 15 hours ago) and read 5800 times:
Quoting Baroque (Reply 5): The wind gradients over Java look pretty weak at present and the rains must be enough to wash a fair amount of the ash out of the atmosphere. But no report of dirty rain from Bandung, so it is probably mainly falling out closer to the volcano.
This might be a reason for the fact that this eruption is not nearly causing as many flight delays as we have seen with the Iceland volcano eruption earlier this year. Too bad so many lives were lost on the ground by the eruption itself.
DFWEagle From United States of America, joined Dec 2006, 1064 posts, RR: 9 Reply 8, posted (2 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 5710 times:
I think JAL’s NRT-CGK flight (JL725) set out as planned but later turned round and headed back to NRT. The return (JL726) has been cancelled.
JAL's website shows that JL725 left at 11:42 this morning and will only get back at 22:05, so they have been away for over 10 hours and not got anywhere! The NRT-CGK is only normally 8 hours so did the plane need to land somewhere else to re-fuel?
Baroque From Australia, joined Apr 2006, 15380 posts, RR: 60 Reply 9, posted (2 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 5673 times:
Quoting EPA001 (Reply 6): Too bad so many lives were lost on the ground by the eruption itself.
That itself is worth two or three threads. Always this temptation to stay close to the volcamo due to the excellent soils. Those nuess ardentes are rolling down at over 100 kph, not a chance of escape, if the heat does not get you, no oxygen will.
Indonesia has an excellent Volcanology Direktorat. But with about 128-ish active volcanoes they can be run ragged. They have one film from Sulawesi, taken about 1980 of a huge nuee ardentes rolling down, the camer crew escaping because it rolled around the hil they were on, but second before it did, they had given themselves up as lost as you could hear from the soundtrack!! Communications are the main problem. In the 1980s before mobile phones, they were literally dependant for news on bicycles. Now with mobiles matters are much much better, but with conditions as on Merapi at present, nothing survives. And Merapi is an unusually steep sided volcano.
On a clear day flying from SIN to SUB, you can see Cireme (close to the N coast), Merapi and Lawu off to the S, but all too often it is too cloudy to see anything. Even in the dry season, the haze makes seeing difficult but the peaks usually stick up above the haze in quite spectacular fashion.
thaia345 From Indonesia, joined Oct 2006, 814 posts, RR: 17 Reply 10, posted (2 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 5484 times:
For now most airlines that cancelled their flights today still do not have any formations if flights will operate tomorrow. But SQ did say morning flights are definitely cancelled. Once flights resume expect SQ to use their b744 n b773 on the regular flights to help clear the congestion. Mh might also use bigger A333 on several flights. I already have tons of friends stuck in sin and kul
SXI899 From New Zealand, joined Jan 2008, 194 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (2 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 5345 times:
The winds are blowing the ash cloud (which reaches upto FL550) to the southwest and west, which is why there is not as much of an effect on flights to Australia than what maybe expected (other than maybe to Perth).
lightsaber From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 10682 posts, RR: 100 Reply 12, posted (2 years 6 months 2 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 4755 times:
Is the volcano impacting Hajj flights significantly?
Quoting SXI899 (Reply 11): The Darwin VAAC is providing good coverage:
HB-IWC From Greece, joined Sep 2000, 4414 posts, RR: 76 Reply 13, posted (2 years 6 months 2 weeks 3 days 23 hours ago) and read 2893 times:
Operations at CGK are gradually returning to normal this morning. SQ has reinstated some of the previously cancelled flights. At GA, all flights are operating albeit with some delays because of displaced equipment and crew rest restrictions that bring aircraft back to CGK late.
Sponsor Message: 
From Indonesia, joined Oct 2006, 814 posts, 
From Greece, joined Sep 2000, 4414 posts, 
From Ireland, joined Aug 1999, 11953 posts, 
From Australia, joined Apr 2006, 15380 posts, 
From Netherlands, joined Sep 2006, 3594 posts, 
From United States of America, joined Dec 2006, 1064 posts, 
From New Zealand, joined Jan 2008, 194 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
