Air services between Australia and Bali have been cancelled today after fresh ash emerged from Indonesia’s active Mount Agung volcano, causing safety concerns among local and international airlines.
Latest volcanic activity saw ash cloud the sky almost two kilometres above the volcano and the surrounding area. As a result, Denpasar Airport has ceased operations today (Friday 29 June 2018), forcing airlines to cancel services.
In online updates, AirAsia, Jetstar, Garuda Indonesia, Qantas and Virgin Australia are among the affected carriers, who’ll remain grounded between Australia and Bali until conditions have cleared or until 7.00pm when the gateway reopens.
#Bali volcano eruption: Mount Agung sends volcanic ashes 2000 METRES into the air #volcano https://t.co/YQJrAyxRVg pic.twitter.com/LuiUHemIiQ
— Daily Express (@Daily_Express) June 28, 2018
Qantas said it’s “currently not safe” for any airline to fly to and from the gateway, but conditions will be closely monitored for the first opportunity for resume flights.
“While these disruptions are frustrating, we always put safety first.”
Qantas
Affected passengers can check the carrier’s flight status page for more information.
School holiday plans in chaos as Bali's Mount #Agung volcano erupts again, closing the island's airport and grounding flights https://t.co/qUzh0wWLdB #Bali eruption pic.twitter.com/PVr1pewe27
— ABC Perth (@abcperth) June 28, 2018
Virgin Australia shared the same sentiment, saying that guests and crew are the “highest priority”.
Guests with changes to their flight schedule will be contacted directly by SMS and email, or they can check the flight status page for the most up to date information.
NEW UPDATE – Volcanic ash from Mount Agung in Bali is still affecting flights in and out of Denpasar Airport tonight. For the latest updates: https://t.co/ycgXYw7Hpd
— Jetstar Airways (@JetstarAirways) June 28, 2018
Over at Jetstar, nine flights were cancelled from Singapore, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne to Bali today while senior pilots continue to assess the situation.
The airline said it will provide an update on afternoon flights at around midday today and said it would contact flyers with new flight details once it’s safe to resume flying.
Affected travellers are urged to update their contact details with the carrier or contact them via the Live Chat link at the top of the Travel Alert page on the Jetstar website.
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