Ash forces Bali flight cancellations

Ash forces Bali flight cancellations

Virgin Australia has cancelled all flights in and out of Bali as the nearby Mt Rinjani volcano continues to spew ash, creating a cloud of debris that makes air transport unsafe.

The decision affects eight flights, including a number that were due to depart Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth on Wednesday.

“We continue to monitor the situation closely,” the airline said in a statement late on Tuesday night.

In Bali, Virgin Australia passengers are being told not to travel to Denpasar Airport without a confirmed flight.

Jetstar travellers are also affected, with the carrier delaying two morning flights from Australia on Wednesday as well as a further two from Bali.

Both airlines are expected to give further updates by 11am Wednesday, after getting more guidance from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin.

Ash from Mt Rinjani, on the island of Lombok east of Bali, has been blowing toward Denpasar airport for about a week after the volcano started emitting debris on October 25 when a small but explosive eruption occurred.

It’s the second time in recent months that volcano eruptions in Indonesia have thrown the travel plans of Bali and homeward-bound Australians into chaos.

A corrosive silica-based ash cloud thrown up by Mt Raung in the same area in July caused concerns until it began to ebb in August.

Bali Tourism Board chairman Ida Bagus Ngurah Wijaya said he didn’t believe there would be a repeat of the saga when ash from Mt Raung completely halted air travel in Bali for several days.

“It was quite a big loss,” he told AAP.

“From Australia, the drop (in passengers) in July and August was on average, about 30 per cent.”

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