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Friday, 15 November 2024 07:36
Flights to Bali Resume After Volcanic Eruption Disruptions
Written by Daniel
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VOInews, Denpasar: Several airlines have resumed flights to Bali after suspending them due to a massive eruption from a nearby volcano.
On Wednesday, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted, sending a nine-kilometer (5.6-mile) column of ash into the sky, resulting in the cancellation of 83 international flights, according to Bali’s international airport. Over the past two weeks, the volcano has erupted more than a dozen times, leading to the evacuation of thousands and claiming at least nine lives.
Australia’s Qantas Group announced that its airlines Qantas and Jetstar would restart their Bali services, citing "improved" conditions. Two delayed Qantas flights from Wednesday were expected to take off on Thursday. “We will continue to monitor the changing conditions and volcanic activity,” Qantas said in a statement.
AirAsia also planned to resume some flights to and from Bali later in the day, while Virgin Australia stated on its website that it would restart services to Denpasar starting Thursday. Singapore’s airline Scoot rescheduled flights from Singapore to Bali and Surabaya, adjusting for the ongoing volcanic activity.
As of early Thursday morning, Bali’s airport reported 32 more international flight cancellations, noted airport general manager Ahmad Syaugi Shahab. However, he mentioned that ash from Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki had begun moving away from the airport by Wednesday evening, raising hopes for resuming more flights.
“We hope affected passengers can resume their travel on Thursday,” Ahmad added.
Mount Lewotobi erupted again overnight, with visible ash columns and lava flows. Meanwhile, the airport in Labuan Bajo, a nearby tourist area, reopened on Thursday, as confirmed on its Instagram account.
The volcano, known as “Laki-Laki” (meaning “man” in Indonesian), is paired with a more dormant neighboring peak, named after the Indonesian word for “woman.”
Bali’s economy relies heavily on tourism, but Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where tectonic activity often causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Source: AFP
Published in
Indonesia Today
