Air traffic disturbance due to the 2010 Merapi volcano eruption

The 2010 Merapi eruption was exceptional on several levels (intensity of the eruption, destructions, casualties…) and for the first time, created major air traffic disruptions in Yogyakarta, leading to the closure of the airport. Some companies suspended their flights, others adapted to the crisis by transferring their flights to other airports, and some companies even continued to fly despite the risks involved. Four major phases emerged; first, a few days corresponding to the rise of the activity of the eruption, a second corresponding to the start of the eruption and first ash emissions. Then, a third peak marked by the eruption which led to the closure of the Yogyakarta airport for 15 days and finally, a fourth one-month-long phase where airport activity returned to normal. We studied the evolution of disturbances on the field and the correlation between volcanic activity and flight cancelations. Adaptations between airports were observed, Adisucipto Airport (Yogyakarta) transferred several of its flights to the Adi Soemarmo of Surakarta airport and it transferred its flights to Ahmad Yani Airport in Semarang and Juanda in Surabaya. Moreover, the eruption disrupted the pilgrimage to Mecca for thousands of Muslims who had waited and saved for years to be able to go. Nevertheless, the organizers coped with the crisis by changing departure airports for the pilgrimage. This study allowed us to understand the impacts of a major Merapi eruption on air transport, from the onset of ash emissions until the late disturbances.