Indonesian authorities confirmed that five airports have shut down temporarily, including Denpasar, which will remain closed for at least another 12 hours as volcanic ash hovers over the gateway.
The closures have forced the cancellation of more than 100 flights, including several services from Australia and New Zealand.
According to the authorities, ash from Mount Raung is clouding over gateways and causing sight difficulty for pilots.
Indonesia’s Transport Ministry Spokesperson J.A. Barata told AFP the decision to shut down the airport was ‘for safety’.
The closures come after days of cancellations from airlines such as Jetstar and Virgin Australia.
Bandara yg hari ini tutup karena erupsi #Raung: Bali, Lombok, Banyuwangi, Jember. Cek-cek jadwal trip atau mudik. pic.twitter.com/OEriw3Terb
— Alex (@zulfikaralex) July 10, 2015
Virgin Australia confirmed this morning it had cancelled all services to the popular tourist destination for today.
The carrier said it would work closely with the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin and notify guests once operations are back up and running.
In the meantime, travellers with affected travel plans due to Mount Raung can change their booking to another date or alternative destination within 14 days without fee or receive a full travel credit.
Jetstar announced this afternoon it too would suspended flights today and early tomorrow morning. Fifteen Jetstar flights have been affected by the ash.
All passengers on rescheduled or cancelled flights can contact Jetstar to be provided with options to fly on alternative services.
[Travel Alert] All Bali flights for today cancelled. Denpasar Airport remains closed http://t.co/yyWLWRx3Uj #MountRaung #volcano #ashcloud
— Jetstar Airways (@JetstarAirways) July 10, 2015
Aussies aren’t the only ones facing delays and cancellations, Air New Zealand has confirmed its Bali flight on Saturday will be delayed.
NZ245 was scheduled to depart Auckland at 4.30pm Saturday 11 July. This service has now been rescheduled to depart at 3.00am on Sunday 12 July, weather and ash conditions permitting.
The late arrival of the incoming aircraft will mean the return service from Bali to Auckland, NZ246, will also be delayed.
The situation will be reviewed again tomorrow with a further update available no later than 6.00pm on Saturday 11 July NZ time.
“We apologise for the inconvenience to passengers, however, the ash conditions are outside Air New Zealand’s safety parameters and we’re unable to operate until the situation improves.”
Air New Zealand
