Jakarta, Sept. 6 -- Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi stressed that safety and security remain the top priorities in dealing with the impact of the Anak Krakatau eruption, which has disrupted air transportation operations.

Speaking during an inspection at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on Sunday, Purwagandhi said airports would remain temporarily closed if volcanic ash posed a risk to flight safety.

"If, as we saw earlier, the ash dispersion remains widespread and the paper test is still positive, we will not force the airport to reopen or allow aircraft operations to resume," Purwagandhi said.

Soekarno-Hatta Airport was temporarily closed due to the spread of volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau.

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