Travelers consult an information board on canceled flights due to the eruption of a volcano, on November 13, 2024 in Tuban, on the island of Bali, Indonesia (AFP / SONNY TUMBELAKA)
Several Asian and Australian airlines canceled flights to and from the tourist island of Bali, Indonesia, on Wednesday due to the eruption of a volcano in a nearby archipelago.
At least 16 international routes are affected and flights from Singapore, Hong Kong, Qatar, India, Australia, Malaysia, Shanghai-Pudong (China) and Incheon (South Korea) have All were delayed or grounded, said Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, the general manager of Bali International Airport in a statement.
It said a total of 26 domestic flights and 64 international flights had been affected by the recent eruptions as of Wednesday afternoon, without specifying the routes.
“Due to the impact of this natural event on flight operations, airlines are offering affected passengers the opportunity to receive a refund, reschedule their flight or change their itinerary,” it added.
Satellite image from November 13 showing the eruption of a volcano on the island of Flores, Indonesia, which affected air traffic to and from the tourist island of Bali (AFP/Jonathan WALTER)
Australian airlines Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar, as well as Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia and Indigo (Malaysia), Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong), Scoot (Singapore) and Indigo (India) have all canceled several or all of their flights, according to an AFP journalist at Bali airport.
“I will sleep here (in the airport) rather than return to Java”, in Indonesia, declared to AFP Samsudin, employee of a veterinary clinic and aged 52, who had a stopover in Bali to go in Malaysia.
“I will wait here until tomorrow,” added the traveler who bought a ticket after being refunded by AirAsia.
– Nine dead and 31 injured –
These disturbances are due to the eruption of the Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano, on the island of Flores, about 800 km east of Bali, which caused a column of ash and smoke 9 km high on Tuesday.
Travelers in front of an information board on canceled flights due to the eruption of a volcano, on November 13, 2024 at Tuban airport, on the island of Bali, Indonesia (AFP / SONNY TUMBELAKA)
This 1,703 meter high volcano has erupted several times in recent days, killing nine people, injuring 31 and forcing 11,000 people to evacuate, according to Indonesian authorities.
“Due to volcanic ash caused by the eruption of Mount Lewotobi in Indonesia, it is currently unsafe to operate flights to and from Bali,” explained Jetstar, which has suspended all flights to and from Bali. from Bali until Thursday noon, in a travel advisory.
Volcanic eruptions pose a danger to planes in flight, as ash can damage engines and scratch the cockpit windshield until it is impossible to see through.
Bali's tourism chief, Tjok Bagus Pemayun, sought reassurance and called for calm on Wednesday after the cancellations, saying the island was “very safe” because the volcano is very remote.
“Bali’s tourism activity continues as normal,” he said in a statement.
Eruption of the Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano seen from the village of Titihena, on the island of Flores, on November 13, 2024 in Indonesia (AFP / Arnold Welianto)
But airlines said the situation was too dangerous for their planes to remain in the skies.
Airport operator PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia said on Wednesday it had carried out tests in its airspace and had not detected ash, adding that operating conditions were “normal”.
But Labuan Bajo airport, a tourist hotspot on the island of Flores, is closed on Wednesday until 8:00 p.m. local time (12:00 GMT) due to volcanic ash from Lewotobi, according to its Instagram page.
