Lewotolok Ash Temporarily Shuts Gewayantana and Wunopito Airports

Labuan Bajo — — Volcanic ash from Mount Ili Lewotolok forced the temporary closure of Gewayantana Airport in Larantuka and Wunopito Airport in Lewoleba, disrupting Wings Air services and affecting dozens of passengers on key routes in eastern Flores and Lembata on 10 September 2026, according to local authorities and airline statements.

Gewayantana Airport was closed after ash from Ili Lewotolok was observed drifting into the airport’s airspace. The decision was formalised through a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) declaring the aerodrome closed, according to Puguh Lukito, head of the Class III Gewayantana Airport operator, as reported by RRI.

Services affected at Gewayantana included Wings Air flights on the Kupang–Larantuka route. RRI reported that a flight from Kupang to Larantuka carried 52 passengers, while the return service from Larantuka to Kupang had 23 passengers booked, all of whom were unable to travel due to the closure.

Airport authorities at Gewayantana said conditions would be reassessed on the morning of Friday, 11 September, to determine whether operations and the surrounding airspace were safe to reopen.

Wunopito closure and flight alternatives

Wunopito Airport in Lewoleba, Lembata, also suspended operations because volcanic ash entered an aviation route serving the area. Pos Kupang reported that both Wunopito and Gewayantana were closed on Thursday, 10 September 2026, as a direct impact of Ili Lewotolok’s eruption.

Pos Kupang noted that some travellers began seeking alternative routes via Frans Seda Airport in Maumere and H. Hasan Aroeboesman Airport in Ende, though it did not specify how many passengers successfully transferred or whether additional flights were laid on.

Prior to the 10 September disruption, volcanic ash had already prompted broader schedule changes. Wings Air announced the temporary cancellation of four flights serving Lembata and Flores Timur on Tuesday, 8 September 2026, following a NOTAM declaring Wunopito closed from 07:01 WIB on 8 September until an estimated 06:00 WIB on 9 September due to ash from Mount Lewotolok. The affected flights were IW1995 (Kupang–Lewoleba), IW1994 (Lewoleba–Kupang), IW1929 (Kupang–Larantuka) and IW1928 (Larantuka–Kupang).

The airline said passengers on the cancelled services were able to request schedule changes or refunds under its commercial policies and that it was coordinating with AirNav Indonesia, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) and airport operators while monitoring developments at the volcano.

Ash observation and safety conditions

According to local media reports, Ili Lewotolok’s monitoring post recorded an eruption on Thursday, 10 September, that produced a grey, dense ash column leaning west over Lembata. The column rose several hundred metres above the summit and affected visibility along aviation routes serving Wunopito and Gewayantana.

Authorities kept the volcano’s status at Level II (Alert) and advised residents and visitors to stay outside an exclusion zone extending at least two kilometres from the crater, with wider restrictions in sectors to the south and southeast.

Operational context

AirNav Indonesia and the Lion Air Group, Wings Air’s parent company, had already documented multiple rounds of disruption linked to Ili Lewotolok’s ash in early September. On 1 September, Wings Air cancelled four flights on the Kupang–Lewoleba and Kupang–Larantuka routes due to ash detected near Gewayantana and Wunopito, citing safety concerns for aircraft engines and pilot visibility.

By 9 September, AirNav’s updated NOTAM C1145/26 extended Wunopito’s closure from the morning of 9 September until an estimated 07:00 WITA on Thursday, 10 September, keeping Lewoleba’s airport shut as Ili Lewotolok continued to emit ash. Local coverage on 10 September then reported that Gewayantana joined Wunopito in closing to flights as ash drifted toward eastern Flores.

Key data: Gewayantana Airport was declared temporarily closed on Thursday, 10 September 2026, with a safety reassessment planned for the following morning. Wunopito Airport’s closure was in effect under NOTAMs from 8–10 September, with AirNav stating that its status remained “CLOSED” through the morning of 10 September. Wings Air reported 52 passengers on the Kupang–Larantuka service and 23 on the Larantuka–Kupang leg affected by the Gewayantana closure on 10 September.

Sources

• RRI Flores Timur
• Pos Kupang (Tribunnews regional)
• Lion Air Group Newsroom
• Katadata.co.id
• Metro TV / metrotvnews.com
• iNews.id
• Media Indonesia