Air NZ cancels Bali flights after volcano erupts
Photo: Screengrab X
All Air New Zealand flights to the Indonesian resort island of Bali have been cancelled after the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spewed ash into the sky.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, which is in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on Tuesday, spewing ash 11 km high, forcing the country's volcanology agency to raise the alert level to the highest.
It erupted again on Wednesday morning, belching a 1km high ash cloud, the agency said in a statement.
The eruption has caused Air New Zealand flights to and from Bali to be cancelled.
"NZ290 from Auckland to Bali scheduled for this morning has been cancelled due to volcanic ash forecast to affect the airspace. As a result, the return service NZ291 from Bali to Auckland has also been cancelled," Air New Zealand Chief Operating Officer Alex Marren said.
"The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority and we are closely monitoring the situation. We will be rebooking impacted customers on the next available service to get them to their destination safely. We recommend customers keep an eye on the Air NZ app or website for the latest information on their flight."
Several international flights from India, Singapore and Australia to Bali were cancelled due to the eruption, the Bali international airport website showed.
The government closed the Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere from Wednesday until Thursday "to ensure the safety of the passengers," said the airport operator AirNav in its Instagram post.
The eruption also forced local authorities to evacuate dozens of residents living in two villages near the volcano, Avi Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency told Reuters.
"Streets in the two villages were filled with thick ash, gravel, and sand," she said, adding no casualties were reported.
The volcano last erupted in May.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates.
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1News
12 hours ago
- 1News
Air NZ flights cancelled due to ash from Indonesian volcano
Two Air New Zealand flights have been cancelled due to volcanic ash from Indonesia's Mount Lewtobi Laki Laki. The volcano in south-central Indonesia erupted Wednesday, spewing towering columns of hot ash into the air. Authorities raised the eruption alert to the highest level and expanded the danger zone to 8km from the crater, the Associated Press reported. Indonesia's Geology Agency said in a statement it recorded the volcano unleashing 10,000m of thick grey clouds following significant volcanic activities, including 50 in two hours, rather than the usual daily 8 to 10 activities. As a result of volcanic ash forecast to affect the airspace, flight NZ290 from Auckland to Bali and the return service NZ291 from Bali to Auckland were both cancelled. ADVERTISEMENT Volcanic smoke billows from Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki during an eruption, as seen from Lembata, Indonesia. (Source: Associated Press) Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren told 1News the airline was "closely monitoring the situation" and the safety of customers and crew was a top priority. "We will be rebooking impacted customers on the next available service to get them to their destination safely. We recommend customers keep an eye on the Air NZ app or website for the latest information on their flight," they said. An eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki in November killed nine people and injured dozens. It also erupted in May. - Additional reporting by the Associated Press
Otago Daily Times
13 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Air NZ cancels Bali flights after volcano erupts
Photo: Screengrab X All Air New Zealand flights to the Indonesian resort island of Bali have been cancelled after the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki spewed ash into the sky. Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki, which is in East Nusa Tenggara province, erupted on Tuesday, spewing ash 11 km high, forcing the country's volcanology agency to raise the alert level to the highest. It erupted again on Wednesday morning, belching a 1km high ash cloud, the agency said in a statement. The eruption has caused Air New Zealand flights to and from Bali to be cancelled. "NZ290 from Auckland to Bali scheduled for this morning has been cancelled due to volcanic ash forecast to affect the airspace. As a result, the return service NZ291 from Bali to Auckland has also been cancelled," Air New Zealand Chief Operating Officer Alex Marren said. "The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority and we are closely monitoring the situation. We will be rebooking impacted customers on the next available service to get them to their destination safely. We recommend customers keep an eye on the Air NZ app or website for the latest information on their flight." Several international flights from India, Singapore and Australia to Bali were cancelled due to the eruption, the Bali international airport website showed. The government closed the Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere from Wednesday until Thursday "to ensure the safety of the passengers," said the airport operator AirNav in its Instagram post. The eruption also forced local authorities to evacuate dozens of residents living in two villages near the volcano, Avi Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency told Reuters. "Streets in the two villages were filled with thick ash, gravel, and sand," she said, adding no casualties were reported. The volcano last erupted in May. Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates.
RNZ News
18 hours ago
- RNZ News
Kiwis stranded in Bali as Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki eruption cancels flights
Photo: STR/AFP A volcano in eastern Indonesia spewed a colossal ash tower into the sky and cancelled flights, after officials raised the alert level to the highest of a four-tiered system. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1584-metre-high twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted at 5:35 pm local time, the volcanology agency said in a statement. "The height of the eruption column was observed at approximately 10,000 metres above the summit. The ash column was observed to be grey with thick intensity," it said, after the alert level was raised. There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties. The eruption has caused Air New Zealad flights to and from Bali to be cancelled. "NZ290 from Auckland to Bali scheduled for this morning has been cancelled due to volcanic ash forecast to affect the airspace. As a result, the return service NZ291 from Bali to Auckland has also been cancelled," Air New Zealand Chief Operating Officer Alex Marren said. "The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority and we are closely monitoring the situation. We will be rebooking impacted customers on the next available service to get them to their destination safely. We recommend customers keep an eye on the Air NZ app or website for the latest information on their flight." Geology agency head Muhammad Wafid said residents and tourists should avoid carrying out any activities within at least seven kilometres of the volcano's crater. But he warned of the possibility of hazardous lahar floods -- a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials -- if heavy rain occurs, particularly for communities near to rivers. He also urged residents to wear face masks to protect themselves from volcanic ash. National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement late Tuesday that at least one village had to evacuate, without providing numbers, and ash rain was reported in several villages outside the exclusion zone. The spokesman called on residents around the volcano "to evacuate to safe locations" as tremors were still being detected, which indicated ongoing volcanic activity. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to evacuate, as well as the cancellation of scores of international flights to Bali. There were no immediate reports of cancelled flights after Tuesday's eruption. Laki-Laki, which means man in Indonesian, is twinned with the calmer but taller 1,703-metre (5,587-foot) volcano named Perempuan, 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". - AFP/RNZ
