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Malaysian comedian Dr Jason Leong performed in Jakarta last Saturday (5 September). He was due to fly home on Batik Air from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 11.45am on Sunday (6 September) — with a flight to Europe already booked for Tuesday.
However, at around 1am, he was notified that his flight had been cancelled due to volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau.
Leong posted on Instagram asking for alternative route home and received suggestions to fly from Bandung, Yogyakarta, or Surabaya. He decided to travel to Yogyakarta instead since Surabaya is also near an erupting volcano and Bandung didn’t have direct flights to Kuala Lumpur.
After a six-hour train ride to Yogyakarta, he flew AirAsia from Yogyakarta International Airport to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday at 5.30pm.
In a Facebook video, Leong said his journey from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur took about 16 hours.
He thanked Batik Air for informing passengers in advance so they could arrange alternative routes home and for processing refunds.
Leong said it ‘took a village’ to bring him home, thanking airport authorities and those monitoring volcanic activity, air quality and weather conditions for their timely and consistent updates.
AirAsia also received a shoutout for helping him get home in time so that he could fly off the next day to perform his shows in Europe.
Leong ended the video on a lighter note, joking that his fans now know the lengths he would go to for them.
Volcanic activity in Indonesia
Six volcanoes erupted across Indonesia as haze from Kalimantan’s forest fires continued to affect the region, with the first eruption occurring on 31 August.
According to Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), the eruptions were unconnected and did not set each other off.
Mount Anak Krakatau has not stopped spewing hot lava and volcanic ash since eruption, with the ash plume going up as high as 15km into the atmosphere.
The eruption forced eight Indonesian airports to close temporarily and schools to switch to online learning.
Fortunately, there’s no tsunami threat despite the several eruptions in the region.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said there’s a low probability of the ash reaching Malaysia.
A total of 59 flights at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminals 1 and 2 were also cancelled.
@cnn Mount Anak Krakatau in Indonesia is on its second straight day of a major eruption. Volcanic ash has caused the suspension of flights out of Jakarta's main airport.
♬ original sound – CNN
READ MORE: Six Indonesian Volcanoes Erupted On 31 August, And They’re Still Erupting
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