Bali: Three major Australian airlines- Jetstar, Qantas, and Virgin Australia have cancelled flights to and from Bali due to a volcanic eruption that has created hazardous ash clouds over the region.
The cancellations, which began on Tuesday and continued into Wednesday, have left numerous passengers stranded.
The disruption follows the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki on Sunday, which sent an ash plume soaring 9 kilometres into the atmosphere. The eruption occurred in East Nusa Tenggara province, approximately 500 kilometres from Bali, resulting in the tragic loss of nine lives and forcing the evacuation of over 15,000 residents from the vicinity of the volcano.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) reported that volcanic activity has been ongoing at Mount Lewotobi over the past two weeks. Easterly winds have since carried ash towards Denpasar Airport, impacting both the airport and surrounding airspace, with the ash expected to continue moving across Bali and parts of northern Australia until late Wednesday night.
A BoM spokesperson explained that, “Volcanic ash is expected to move over Bali and the adjacent maritime environment to the south, including parts of northern Australian airspace, until dissipating late tonight.”
The resulting conditions have led to widespread flight disruptions. Qantas has delayed two return flights from Australia to Denpasar, one on Tuesday and another on Wednesday, while Virgin Australia has cancelled ten flights scheduled for Wednesday, citing “adverse weather.” A Virgin spokesperson commented that, “The safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority. Adverse weather due to the volcano in Indonesia has resulted in Virgin Australia cancelling all flights in and out of Denpasar today (13 November).”
Jetstar also confirmed the suspension of its Bali operations on Wednesday, noting that, “Due to volcanic ash caused by Mount Lewotobi in Indonesia, it is currently not safe to operate to and from Bali.”
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