Travel chaos as volcano grounds flights in Bali

TRAVELLERS face a second day of delays after a volcanic ash cloud grounded flights in and out of Denpasar Airport.

TRAVELLERS face a second day of delays after a volcanic ash cloud grounded flights in and out of Denpasar Airport in Bali.

While flights will resume today, travellers have been advised to check with their respective airlines before heading to the airport.

Virgin, Jetstar and Tigerair all cancelled flights yesterday due to concerns about an ash cloud from Mount Rinjani.

All confirmed flights would go ahead today.

Virgin and Tiger will update travellers about services later today, but Jetstar has already cancelled three flights, AAP reports.

In a statement this morning, Jetstar said some flights between Australia and Bali have been cancelled with the airline provided a list of affected flights.

“The ash cloud from the Mount Rinjani volcano in Indonesia has affected flights to and from Bali for several airlines, including Jetstar,” it said.

“Our pilots and meteorologists will assess the latest information from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre early Tuesday morning and make a decision about flights scheduled for the rest of the day.”

It later said flights would go ahead as normal.

Passengers have been urged to check with their airlines before heading to the airport. Picture: Screengrab

The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin issued a number of warnings since the volcano in Lombok erupted yesterday, sparking fears for passenger safety.

Perth Airport tweeted yesterday that flights to and from Bali were impacted by the volcanic activity.

Some flights to/from Bali have been impacted by a volcanic ash cloud. If you're travelling to Bali, pls check with your airline for updates.

— Perth Airport (@PerthAirport) August 1, 2016

Virgin Australia flights to Denpasar via Perth from Brisbane and Sydney were cancelled on Monday, along with Tigerair flights from Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Tigerair also cancelled flights out of Denpasar to Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide.

“The latest advice from our team of meteorologists and the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre is that conditions are not suitable for operations into and out of Denpasar Airport today (Monday, August 1) due to volcanic activity from Mt Rinjani,” a statement on Tigerair’s website said.

The airline apologised to those passengers concerned but said the situation was out of its control and that “safety always comes before schedule”.

Travellers have been left stranded by volcanic ash clouds in Indonesia in the past.

In a statement, Virgin Australia said safety was the airline’s one priority and it was continuing to monitor the situation closely.

The airline announced flights would resume in and out of the Bali this morning.

“Our team of experts continue to monitor the impacts of Mt Rinjani and have determined that conditions are suitable for daytime operations in and out of Denpasar (Bali) today,” it said.

.@VirginAustralia to resume flights in and out Bali after ash cloud drama https://t.co/JGGjlBEqyg @Michelle_Tapper https://t.co/UBRHvMtByZ

— 7 News Sydney (@7NewsSydney) August 1, 2016

One passenger who had been waiting overnight at Melbourne Airport told Nine News this morning that he heard from a friend that their flight had been cancelled from another airline.

“So we came here at [midnight] last night, having waited for six hours till the check-in opens,” he said.

“I’ve called. No news so far. Hopefully we find out something, but we’re just so tired.”

It wouldn’t be the first time travellers faced such disruption.

In 2015, ash clouds from Mt Rinjani and Mt Raung disrupted flights to Bali several times during the year.

An ash cloud from Mount Bromo in East Java caused an airport to close there last month.

Mount Rinjani began erupting in late October after five years without activity, Perth Now reported.

The Mount Rinjani volcano in the Indonesian island of Lombok erupts intermittently.