Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Malaysia Airlines on Saturday cancelled flights to Jakarta because of the violent eruption of Indonesia's most active volcano. "Due to volcanic ash from Mount Merapi in Indonesia, flights to and from Jakarta are being temporarily suspended," Singapore Airlines said on its website.
"We have cancelled flights to Jakarta for today and one flight tomorrow...Because of the ash," a Malaysia Airlines spokeswoman told AFP. "We will continue monitoring the situation, it depends whether the ash clouds still surrounds the region of Jakarta," she said.
Merapi killed 85 people in its latest eruption yesterday, with scores more suffering severe burns. The latest deaths bring the overall toll to 128 since the volcano started erupting on October 26.