Bali flights cancelled after Indonesian volcano eruption

Free Malaysia Today

16 hours ago

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted yesterday, prompting authorities to raise its alert status to the highest level. (AP pic)
JAKARTA : At least two dozen flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali have been cancelled, its international airport website showed today, after a volcano in the archipelago's east erupted, sending a tower of ash 10km into the sky.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703m twin-peaked volcano on the eastern tourist island of Flores, erupted yesterday, with authorities raising its alert status to the highest level.
The cancelled flights included Jetstar and Virgin Australia services to cities across Australia.
Flights operated by Air India, Air New Zealand, Singapore's TigerAir and China's Juneyao Airlines were also cancelled 'due to volcano,' according to Bali's international airport website.
Several domestic AirAsia flights departing for Labuan Bajo on Flores were also affected.
'Ngurah Rai is still operating normally, but it depends on the flight schedule. Some flights are cancelled due to the volcano. It depends on the route and also the airline,' a Bali airport customer service agent, who declined to give their name, told AFP.
Volcanic ash rained down on several villages around Lewotobi Laki-Laki and forced the evacuation of at least one village late yesterday, the country's disaster mitigation agency said.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
In November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times, killing nine people, cancelling scores of international flights to the tourist island of Bali, and forcing thousands to evacuate.
Laki-Laki, which means 'man' in Indonesian, is twinned with a calmer volcano named after the Indonesian word for 'woman'.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'.