TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Mount Lewotobi in the East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), erupted twice on Monday, July 7, 2025. The eruption demonstrated a very powerful explosive character, producing a dark gray to black ash column that soared up to 18 kilometers above the peak (19,584 meters above sea level).
Based on information from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), seismograph data recorded the eruption tremors lasting for 6 minutes 26 seconds with a maximum amplitude of 47.3 mm. In addition to the ash eruption, lava deposits were also observed spreading west-northwest for a distance of 3.8 kilometers and northeast for a distance of 4.3 kilometers from the eruption center.
During the incident, strong winds blowing to the north, northeast, and northwest caused the ash column to lean in the same direction, accelerating the spread of volcanic materials to the surrounding areas.
As a result, four airports were temporarily forced to close due to volcanic ash. The four airports are Wunopito Airport in Lewoleba, Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport in Maumere, Komodo International Airport in Labuan Bajo, and Sales Lega Airport in Ruteng.
According to Antara, the Ministry of Transportation temporarily closed the operations of Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport in Maumere, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), due to the impact of the spreading volcanic ash from Mount Lewotobi.
This closure is in accordance with the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), effective from July 7, 2025, at 09:00 WITA (Indonesia Central Time) to July 8, 2025, at 06:00 WITA.
The Head of the Airport Operator Unit (UPBU), Partahian Panjaitan, explained that the initial closure was triggered by strong winds carrying volcanic ash residue from a previous eruption along the flight path. This decision was reinforced after a new eruption occurred on Monday at 11:05 WITA, which spewed an ash column leaning towards the airport.
This closure resulted in the cancellation of several Wings Air and NAM Air flight routes, affecting a total of 501 prospective passengers.
The Director General of Air Transportation, Lukman F. Laisa, has instructed airlines to handle passengers in accordance with regulations, including providing options for rescheduling, rerouting, or full refunds due to this incident.
"Flight safety and passenger comfort are a priority. We hope prospective passengers can understand this force majeure situation," said Lukman as quoted from Antara, July 7, 2025.
A similar situation also occurred at Komodo Airport. The Komodo UPBU, Ceppy Triono, confirmed that this step was taken after testing showed positive exposure to volcanic ash.
"The paper test results were positive," he said.
He detailed that the closure was in effect from the afternoon until the following morning, resulting in the cancellation of several flight routes.
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