Bali flights cancelled due to dangerous volcanic ash
Several airlines have canceled flights to and from Bali due to dangerous ash clouds from a volcano erupting near the Indonesian resort island.
Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia informed passengers of flight disruptions on Wednesday, saying volcanic ash from Levoto’s Bilakiraki volcano made flying unsafe.
The volcano spewed a 9-kilometer (6.2-mile) column of ash into the sky over the weekend. Massive eruption kills 10 people.
Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology also warned that volcanic ash could reach parts of the country’s north on Wednesday.
Jetstar said all flights to and from Bali have been canceled until 12:00 AEDT (04:00 GMT) on Thursday. Other airlines following suit include Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific, India’s IndiGo and Malaysia’s AirAsia.
Virgin Australia, which canceled all flights to and from Bali on Wednesday, said in a statement: “Safety is always our top priority and our weather teams are closely monitoring the situation.”
Singapore Airlines and its budget carrier Scoot have also canceled some flights, although other flights to and from Bali were continuing to operate on Wednesday, according to the Singapore Airport website.
Bali International Airport general manager Ahmad Syaugi Shahab told Reuters that 22 international flights and 12 domestic flights were affected on Tuesday, but did not provide details of Wednesday’s flights.
Activity in Indonesia has also been affected by volcanic ash.
The Jazz Festival in Labuan Bajo town, about 600 kilometers from Lewotaobi Laki-laki mountain, has been postponed until next year due to safety concerns.
Indonesia is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area that sits atop multiple tectonic plates and is a seismically active region with about 130 active volcanoes.
Past volcanic eruptions have disrupted aviation. 2020, Ash cloud from Mount Merapi An airport in Solo City was closed.
