Flights to Indonesia's Bali resume after disruption by volcano eruption
JAKARTA (Reuters) -All flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali resumed on Thursday after being cancelled or delayed due to eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, officials said.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, located in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on Tuesday, spewing ash 11 km (7 miles) high.
Eighty-seven flights to and from Bali, consisting of 66 international and 21 domestic flights, were affected on Wednesday by the eruption, the Bali airport operator said in a statement. These included connections to Australia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia.
On Thursday, flights from Bali departed on schedule to Australia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and China, Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi, an official at Bali airport, said in a statement.
These flights were operated by airlines including Malaysia Airlines, Virgin Australia, JetStar and Singapore Airlines, Asmadi added.
"Until now, all the operations have been running smoothly, both departures and arrivals," Asmadi said.
Flights operated by Qantas and its low-cost carrier JetStar were scheduled to operate as normal on Thursday, the company said.
A number of flights operated by AirAsia Malaysia and AirAsia Indonesia to and from Bali, Lombok and Labuan Bajo, which were cancelled since Wednesday, have also resumed, the airline said.
Two airports in East Nusa Tenggara province reopened on Thursday after being temporarily closed on Wednesday.
However, authorities extended the closure of Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere until Friday as there was still some volcanic ash in the air posing a risk to flights, the airport's operator said in a post on social media.
Dozens of residents living in three villages nearest to the volcano have been evacuated, the local disaster mitigation agency said.
According to Indonesia's volcanology agency, Lewotobi has erupted 427 times this year. Tuesday's eruption is the largest since November last year when it erupted several times, and killed at least 9 people.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates.
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Flights to Indonesia's Bali resume after disruption by volcano eruption
JAKARTA (Reuters) -All flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali resumed on Thursday after being cancelled or delayed due to eruptions of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, officials said. Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, located in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on Tuesday, spewing ash 11 km (7 miles) high. Eighty-seven flights to and from Bali, consisting of 66 international and 21 domestic flights, were affected on Wednesday by the eruption, the Bali airport operator said in a statement. These included connections to Australia, Singapore, Vietnam and Malaysia. On Thursday, flights from Bali departed on schedule to Australia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and China, Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi, an official at Bali airport, said in a statement. These flights were operated by airlines including Malaysia Airlines, Virgin Australia, JetStar and Singapore Airlines, Asmadi added. "Until now, all the operations have been running smoothly, both departures and arrivals," Asmadi said. Flights operated by Qantas and its low-cost carrier JetStar were scheduled to operate as normal on Thursday, the company said. A number of flights operated by AirAsia Malaysia and AirAsia Indonesia to and from Bali, Lombok and Labuan Bajo, which were cancelled since Wednesday, have also resumed, the airline said. Two airports in East Nusa Tenggara province reopened on Thursday after being temporarily closed on Wednesday. However, authorities extended the closure of Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere until Friday as there was still some volcanic ash in the air posing a risk to flights, the airport's operator said in a post on social media. Dozens of residents living in three villages nearest to the volcano have been evacuated, the local disaster mitigation agency said. According to Indonesia's volcanology agency, Lewotobi has erupted 427 times this year. Tuesday's eruption is the largest since November last year when it erupted several times, and killed at least 9 people. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates.
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a day ago
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Volcanic eruption in Indonesia forces evacuations and flight cancelations
LEMBATA, Indonesia — Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted with giant ash and smoke plumes again Wednesday after forcing evacuations of villages and flight cancelations, including to and from the resort island of Bali. Several eruptions sent ash up to 16,400 feet into the sky Tuesday evening to Wednesday afternoon. An eruption Tuesday afternoon sent thick, gray clouds about 32,800 feet into the sky that expanded into a mushroom-shaped ash cloud visible as much as nearly 93 miles away. The eruption alert was raised Tuesday to the highest level and the danger zone where people are recommended to leave was expanded to about 5 miles from the crater. Officers also evacuated from the Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki monitoring post 4.3 miles from the crater to avoid falling gravel released in the eruption. No casualties have been reported. Ash and debris fell in a number of places outside the danger zone, including the villages of Boru, Hewa and Watobuku. Some residents from Nurabelen village in Ile Bura subdistrict fled to evacuation sites in Konga to avoid the impact of the eruption, the National Disaster Management Agency said in a statement. 'Some residents have also evacuated to Nileknoheng village, which is 7.4 miles from the crater,' said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Management Agency's spokesperson. Dozens of flights Wednesday were canceled, including those connecting Bali to cities in Australia, Malaysia, India and China, according to the website of Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. Volcanic ash can pose a risk to plane engines. Flights also were canceled to and from the international airport in Labuan Bajo another tourist destination in Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara province. The airport is still operating. The cancelations and delays affected thousands of travelers. Australian carrier Jetstar, which flies daily between the tourist hotspot and several Australian cities, said the ash cloud was forecast to clear by late Wednesday and its services would be rescheduled. Air New Zealand cancelled one return trip to Auckland and would rebook customers on the next available service, the airline said in a statement Wednesday. Flights to New Delhi, Singapore and Pudong, China, were also cancelled due to the volcano, according to information on the website for Denpasar airport in Bali. The 5,197-foot Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki is a twin volcano with Mount Lewotobi Perempuan in the district of Flores Timur. The volcano has had several eruptions, and its danger level and no-go zone have changed several times before being raised again to the highest level Tuesday. An eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki in November killed nine people and injured dozens. It also erupted in March. Indonesia is an archipelago of 270 million people with frequent seismic activity. It has 120 active volcanoes and sits along the 'Ring of Fire,' a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. Belutowe and Tarigan write for the Associated Press. Tarigan reported from Jakarta, Indonesia.
