Thousands of Australians heading to Bali before the busy school holiday period are being urged to check their airlines’ websites on Friday morning after multiple flights were either cancelled or diverted when Mount Agung began spewing water vapour and ash into the atmosphere.
At least 22 flights across Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin and Air Asia were either diverted, cancelled or delayed on Thursday night and Friday morning because renewed activity from the Indonesian volcano closed Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar.
Frustrated holidayers were left in limbo on Friday as they sat stranded at Australia’s major airports, with no indication from airlines as to when the flights will resume.
Chaos for Australian travellers as flights are cancelled, delayed or turned back after the eruption of Mount Agung
Travellers are frustrated by the news and delays as many are stranded at airports
Virgin cancelled two flights between Sydney and Denpasar on Thursday and said another scheduled to depart the island on Friday morning faced delays.
The airlines are awaiting an update from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre due at 9am on Friday.
The Mount Agung volcano began shooting ash 2,000 metres into the air on Thursday.
The regional volcanic ash advisory centre in Darwin said winds could carry the ash southwest toward Bali’s international airport and Java, Indonesia’s most densely populated island.
The volcano, located 70km of Bali, began to shoot 2,000 metres of ash into the air on Thursday (pictured)
Mount Agung is located 70km northeast of Kuta – a hotspot in Bali where many Australians enjoy their holidays.
It’s last major eruption was in 1963 and killed about 1,200 people.
Activity at the volcano was high last year and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, but it had been quieter this year.
Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 250 million people, sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
Local government seismologists monitor more than 120 active volcanoes.
Experts from the Darwin based volcanic ash advisory ruled that winds could carry ash southwest towards Bali’s international airport
At least 22 Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin and Air Asia flights have been affected between Thursday night and Friday morning
Jetstar cancelled ten flights, to and from Bali, with a statement reading: ‘Due to a volcanic ash cloud caused by Mount Agung in Bali, it is currently not safe to operate flights to or from Denpasar Airport’
On Thursday, Air Asia has cancelled three flights between Perth and Bali, and Jetstar ten to and from Australia.
Another two Jetstar flights to Denpasar from Perth and Sydney were turned back. Qantas also turned back two Melbourne and Sydney flights to the island, and delayed two more from Denpasar.
‘Due to a volcanic ash cloud caused by Mount Agung in Bali, it is currently not safe to operate flights to or from Denpasar Airport,’ a Jetstar statement read.
‘We have contacted customers on affected flights directly via email and SMS.’
The cancelled Jetstar flights include routes between Denpasar and Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide and Cairns.
A Qantas spokesperson said the situation is being treated as ‘Watch and Act,’ 9news reported.
An earlier Qantas statement acknowledged that flights were turned back and delayed due to the unsafe conditions.
Men wait at Sydney International Airport in 2017 (pictured) following the last time ash cloud was expelled from the volcano
‘We are monitoring the advice from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre and our team of senior pilots and meteorologists will make an assessment when flights can be resumed,’ the statement said.
The two scheduled flights from Australia to Denpasar are planned to go ahead at this point but susceptible to change based on the conditions.
‘We will continue to provide customers with updates as the situation develops and contact them via email or SMS if their flight is affected.’
Virgin cancelled two flights between Sydney and Denpasar, and said one due to depart the island in the morning would likely be delayed.
A Virgin statement read: ‘The safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority and our team of meteorologists continue to monitor the situation in consultation with the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre.’
Passengers (pictured) are encouraged to check their airlines website to stay updated on their flights
AirAsia flights QZ545 and QZ537, which were both bound for Denpasar at 6.30pm and 8pm on Thursday, were cancelled.
Another AirAsia flight, QZ536, which was expected to land at 7.30pm, was also cancelled.
The airline has also cancelled flights going in and out of Bali to several neighboring countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
The airline also says that it will continue to update and notify its passengers of their flight delays and cancellations via email and SMS.
Passengers are also encouraged to go to the Air Asia website and check their flight details.
Other travelers scheduled for a Bali trip are also urged to contact their own airlines to confirm their trips.
Passengers look at the information board at Bali’s international airport as flights are delayed and cancelled
Passengers are stuck waiting at Ngurah Rai international airport in Indonesia on Thursday (pictured)
The public relations department at Ngurah Rai International Airport said that almost 5,000 travellers had been impacted by flight cancellations
The public relations department at Ngurah Rai International Airport said that almost 5,000 travellers had been impacted by the cancellation of 26 international inbound and outbound flights.
This is not the first time flights to Bali have been cancelled due to detected volcano activity.
The previous eruptions cancelled scores of flights, leaving tourists stranded on Bali while they waited for airlines to rearrange flights.
However, locals were less fussed, with many Indonesian families choosing to remain in villages just miles from the smoking volcano.
Mount Agung is known to be an active volcano in the island, with its last eruption occurring in November 2017
As travelers continue to face delays (pictured), it is unknown when flights will return to normal