Weather conditions have created an opportunity for Jetstar and its parent company, Qantas, to throw on their red capes and pick up the thousands of Australians currently in Bali.
In an online statement, the low-cost carrier said a change in weather is expected today and could clear flying conditions enough to allow the airline to operate flights and bring home the Aussies stranded in Bali.
Jetstar and Qantas have 10 scheduled flights for today, and will put on an additional six relief flights, which will see a total of 3,800 people return to Australia.
Customers booked on these flights are those who have been disrupted the longest. They will be contacted directly via email and SMS to advise when they’ve been booked on a relief flight.
“Please bear in mind there is a backlog of customers waiting to fly so it may take several days before you are booked on a flight,” Jetstar said.
The airline said it’s aiming to bring “as many people back as possible” but stressed that volcanic activity is unpredictable and flights could be cancelled at short notice.
“Our senior pilots will make further assessment… based on the latest information from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre.”
Jetstar
“We will provide customers further updates if the situation changes.”
While it’s good news for Aussies stranded in Bali, it’s not-so great news for those with upcoming trips to the island as the carrier will not be flying guests from Australia to Bali.
Eleven flights from Australian cities to the island were cancelled today, including those from Melbourne, Darwin, Townsville, Sydney, Cairns and Perth.
Meanwhile, Virgin Australia is looking to operate its own rescue flights but is waiting for pilots to confirm conditions are safe.
“A further safety assessment will be made this morning by our team of safety experts and senior meteorologists, based on the latest information provided by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, which is when we will provide a further update,” the airline said in a statement.
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