Air cargo supply chains from Indonesia are in recovery mode after a volcanic eruption over the weekend resulted in the closure of many of the country’s major airports.
Anak Krakatau, which is located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, began erupting on Friday and spewed out ash for much of the weekend resulting in the closure of eight airports in the country, including Indonesia’s main airfreight gateway, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta.
Soekarno-Hatta, along with four other airports have since reopened, but the closure is expected to have caused major disruption to the country’s air cargo operations.
More than 3,000 flights are reported to have been cancelled, leaving cargo stranded.
Freight forwarder Atlantic Pacific said it could take some time for air cargo operations to recover.
“Even once airports reopen, airlines will need time to restore aircraft rotations, reposition crews and clear accumulated cargo backlogs,” the forwarder said.
“This could lead to slower recovery times, reduced short-term capacity and missed onward connections.”
This view was echoed by Global Logistics Freight Solutions: “The impact on airfreight will not necessarily end with the reopening of the airports.
“Cargo that was due to travel during the closure will need to be rebooked or accommodated on restored services. Aircraft and crews have been displaced from their planned rotations, and airlines must inspect 178 aircraft that were grounded at Soekarno-Hatta.
“This can create pressure on available capacity and lead to delayed uplift, missed onward connections and cargo rollovers over the coming days.”
UK forwarder Unique Forwarding warned of knock-on effects at other airports.
“Although no airports outside Indonesia have closed, freight moving to or from the UK through regional hubs such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Doha could experience knock-on delays as airlines reposition aircraft and work through disrupted schedules,” the company said.
