Volcanic eruption blows up Bali flight schedules due to safety threat from ash cloud

More than a dozen flights have been cancelled by Australian airlines after another volcanic event in Indonesia.

The eruption of Indonesia’s Mt Lewotobi Laki-Laki has blown up flight schedules in Bali, with Jetstar cancelling 12 Friday morning services in and out of Denpasar and Virgin Australia delaying two.

The volcano on the tourist island of Flores, east of Bali, erupted late Thursday for more than 11 minutes, shooting dark ash 8km into the sky.

A Bureau of Meteorology spokesman said volcanic ash was observed to 53,000 ft and was currently moving west from Lewotobi.

“Ash is forecast to move across Denpasar International Airport in Bali at approximately 2pm AEDT on March 21 with the potential to clear by 10pm AEDT (7pm local time),” said the spokesman.

“Airlines and airport operators conduct their own risk assessment of the situation.”

It’s the second time the volcano has erupted in five months, with the last activity in November killing nine people and causing scores of flight cancellations.

Volcanic ash clouds pose a serious safety threat to airlines because of the abrasive quality of the ash, which can damage aircraft windscreens and enter engines, causing blockages and disrupting air flow.

A Virgin Australia spokesman said the airline’s meteorologists were closely monitoring the movement of the ash cloud, and “some delays were expected to Bali services”.

“Guests travelling to and from Bali today should monitor their flight information on the Virgin Australia website and app,” said the spokesman.

The delayed services including VA45 from Brisbane and VA91 from Melbourne, both of which were now scheduled to take off this afternoon.

However, Virgin noted it would have a knock-on effect to return flights and warned further impacts may be necessary based on the ash cloud.

Inside Denpasar’s Ngurah Rai International Airport, where passengers of several flights have had their travel disrupted by the eruption of nearby Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki. Picture: Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP

A Jetstar spokesman said at this stage there was no impact to afternoon flights in and out of Bali, but they continued to monitor the situation closely.

Customers impacted by the morning flight cancellations had been notified and provided with a range of options, including re-booking on the next available service.

“We recommend passengers check their flight status on Jetstar.com before coming to the airport,” said the spokesman.

“Safety is always our number one priority and we thank Friday morning’s customers for their patience and understanding.”

Anyone no longer wishing to travel on flights between Australia and Bali was being offered the option of re-booking the flight at a later date, or cancelling their booking and receiving a credit voucher.

Qantas was yet to make any changes to its Bali flights, but was lkeeping close tabs on the situation.

The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin monitors for volcanic ash around the clock, providing advisories and briefings to aviation users and commercial airlines as required.

Indonesia has the most active volcanoes of any country, with around 130, with at least one or two eruptions per year leading to flight disruptions.

As a result of the regularity of the volcanic activity, most travel insurance policies for Bali trips do not cover expenses related to flight delays and cancellations due to volcanic ash clouds.

Originally published as Volcanic eruption blows up Bali flight schedules due to safety threat from ash cloud