Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia resume Bali flights after volcano eruption

There is positive news for Aussies stuck in Bali after volcanic ash caused flight chaos, but it comes with a warning for those about to head to the island.

Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia have resumed flights to and from Bali after a huge ash cloud from a volcano in Indonesia forced them to axe services.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province has erupted several times since a major eruption in early November and at least nine people have died.

Aussie airlines were forced to cancel flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving holiday-goers disappointed they couldn’t get to Indonesia and others already in Bali unable to get home.

All three Australian airlines confirmed it was safe to operate flights again on Wednesday.

Qantas and Jetstar said they were working on plans to operate more recovery flights to get Aussies back home.

“Our teams have been working through the night to closely monitor the evolving situation and assess when it’s safe to fly,” Qantas Group said in a statement.

“We are contacting customers directly to notify them of any changes to their travel plans. We appreciate the changing situation is frustrating and we thank customers for their understanding and patience.”

The airlines noted it was still an “evolving situation”.

Travellers heading to Bali are warning to check with their travel insurance provider before flying.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted a several times over the weekend. Picture: National Disaster Mitigation Agency/AFP

Six return Jetstar flights will fly to Denpasar from Australia on Wednesday, which includes four scheduled services and two ad hoc recovery flights. The two recovery flights are being operated by a Jetstar A321neo aircraft.

Qantas will operate three flights from Australia on Wednesday, including two delayed flights from Melbourne and Sydney on Tuesday, and Wednesday’s scheduled flight from Sydney.

Two of the flights will depart Denpasar on Wednesday night and the other on Friday morning local time.

Virgin Australia is resuming all scheduled flights on Wednesday.

“We will continue to contact guests whose flights have been cancelled to accommodate them on recovery flights in the coming days,” a spokesperson said.

“We sincerely regret any disruption these cancellations have caused and assure our guests that our team is working diligently to rebook all impacted guests to their destinations as safely and promptly as possible.”

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”.