Bali flights resume after Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts - but expect delays
A volcanic eruption in Indonesia has disrupted travel for more than 14,000 passengers with delays and backlogs still expected.
Flights have resumed in and out of Bali after a volcanic eruption in eastern Indonesia caused major travel chaos, disrupting holiday plans for thousands of Australian travellers.
However, Indonesia’s transport ministry said around 14,000 passengers had already been affected by the disruption, warning that the backlog could take time to clear despite operations returning to normal at Denpasar’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport.
All of Australia’s major airlines were forced to delay or cancel morning and afternoon services to and from Denpasar on Wednesday, as volcanic ash from Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki blanketed parts of the nearby island of Flores.
Both Jetstar and Virgin cancelled early morning flights from Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Sydney, leaving holidaymakers stranded across the country.
However, both airlines have since confirmed flights between Australia and Denpasar have resumed after conditions improved, with services expected to operate as normal on Thursday.
Denpasar airport operators said a total of 87 flights were affected on Wednesday — 66 international and 21 domestic.
The disrupted international routes included services to and from Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Perth, Sydney, Singapore, Auckland, Kuala Lumpur, and Ho Chi Minh City.
Past eruptions of Mount Lewotobi have proven deadly for communities living nearby.
In November 2024, at least nine people were killed and many more injured when the volcano erupted, sending thick brown ash up to 2000 metres into the air and hurling lava, gravel, and debris up to 7km from its crater.
Around 10,000 people were affected across six villages in the Wulanggitang district — Pululera, Nawokote, Hokeng Jaya, Klatanlo, Boru, and Boru Kedang.
On Tuesday evening, Indonesia’s Volcanological Survey (VSI) raised the alert level to the highest on its four-tiered scale, and issued evacuation orders for tourists and residents near the volcano at 5.35pm local time.
In a statement, the VSI said: “The height of the eruption column was observed at approximately 10,000 metres above the summit. The ash column was observed to be grey with thick intensity.”
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, but residents have been urged to stay away from the area.
Muhammad Wafid, a senior adviser to Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy, which oversees the VSI, said all activity should be avoided within a 7km radius of the crater and warned of possible hazardous lahars — dangerous mudflows of volcanic debris — if heavy rain occurs.
He also urged locals and tourists to wear face masks to protect against volcanic ash.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Abdul Muhari said at least one village had been evacuated, though no figures were provided, and ashfall was reported in several areas outside the exclusion zone.
Mr Muhari said tremors were still being detected, indicating ongoing volcanic activity, and called on residents near the volcano “to evacuate to safe locations”.
Indonesia, located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, experiences frequent volcanic and seismic activity. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people, forcing thousands to evacuate, and grounding scores of international flights to Bali.
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Originally published as Bali flights resume after Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts - but expect delays
