Darwin Airport flights resume after Indonesia’s Sangeang Api volcano spews ash into sky
FLIGHTS to and from Darwin are expected to resume today, despite earlier fears that ash from an Indonesian volcano could ground planes for days.
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FLIGHTS to and from Darwin are expected to resume on Sunday after being grounded by an ash cloud from an Indonesian volcano.
Regional carrier Airnorth is operating and Jet Star flights will likely resume as plumes from the volcano clear throughout the day, Darwin International Airport spokeswoman Virginia Sanders told AAP.
Qantas and Virgin are expected to make a decision on their flights by 10am, while it’s unclear whether an Air Asia flight from Bali is going ahead.
Darwin was completely cut off to all air services on Saturday as three separate ash plumes billowed from an Indonesian volcano.
The Sangeang Api volcano off the Indonesian island of Sumbawa erupted continuously after an initial blast on Friday afternoon. The major plume affecting Australian aviation swept southeast over the west side of the Northern Territory and as far south as Alice Springs.
Ms Sanders urged passengers to stay in touch with their airlines for updates on flights.
Emile Jansons, manager of the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, said the plumes affecting Darwin are expected to clear within the next 12 hours.
“We’re seeing a weakening trend in terms of ash being detected,” he told AAP.
“The weather pattern has changed so that it’s less likely to come down and affect Australian airspace.”
He stressed the plumes posed no threat to the health of people on the ground and wouldn’t even be noticed by the naked eye.
“When you’re as far away as Darwin is it’s really not noticeable for people,” Mr Jansons said.
“There’s no ash falling on the ground, there’s no smell of sulphur as the ash is quite high up in the atmosphere.
“So visibly it looks no different to the standard dry seasons we have here which is a little bit of bushfire smoke and a bit of haze in the air.”
The resumption of services to and from Darwin allayed fears that the impact of the eruption could last for days.
“Depending on wind and other weather conditions, the ash has the potential to affect flights to and from other airports, including Brisbane, during coming days. This is currently being fully assessed,” Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss warned yesterday.
“The volcano is continuously erupting,” Tim Birch from the Bureau of Meteorology’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin told AFP.
Birch said one plume was affecting northern Australia and impacting Darwin and was expected to linger for at least the next 18 hours.
Another was located over central Australia which could cause problems for overland flights, while a third was about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Denpasar airport on Indonesia’s Bali.
“All of the plumes will be affecting aviation,” he said.
Surono, an Indonesian government volcanologist who goes by one name, said that Sangeang Api was spewing columns of ash up to 2,500 metres (8,200 feet) into the air on Saturday.
The volcano is about 300km east of the eastern tip of Java and about 1200km west-northwest of Darwin.
WHY IS VOLCANIC DUST DANGEROUS?
Volcanic ash can affect all aircraft with piston or jet engines at all flight levels, CASA warned. Fine particles of pulverised rock consisting mainly of silica contained in volcanic ash clouds can be highly abrasive and damage aircraft engines, structures and windows.
“Commercial air operators and private pilots planning to fly in this area should conduct a safety risk assessment before any flights,” a spokesman said.
“CASA recommends flights are not conducted into areas with visible volcanic ash clouds. Flights into areas with low levels of ash contamination should only be conducted after a safety risk assessment has been carried out.”
However the decision whether or not to fly is a safety and economic decision that rests with individual airlines.
PICTURE SPECIAL: The stunning beauty of an erupting giant
Sangeang Api is 1373km northwest of Darwin, roughly halfway between Bali and Timor.
This is not the first time an exploding volcano overseas has disrupted air traffic Down Under.
One of the most memorable was the Chilean eruption in 2011 that caused chaos here and in other countries.
The Indonesian volcano causing the current problem is a regular menace.
It is believed to have erupted at least 17 times since 1512, with the last eruption recorded in 1999.
The island of Sangeang Api has no permanent residents after they vacated the area in 1985.
Volcanoes are prevalent across Indonesia, as part of the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire”. A number of people were killed during an eruption in East Java in February.
Originally published as Darwin Airport flights resume after Indonesia’s Sangeang Api volcano spews ash into sky
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