Indonesia: Volcanic eruption grounds flights to Bali

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki has been erupting for several weeks, spewing ash thousands of meters into the sky. This volcanic ash poses a significant threat to aircraft, potentially damaging engines and reducing visibility.

In response, Australia’s Jetstar, Qantas, and Virgin Australia, along with Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, India’s IndiGo, and Singapore’s Scoot, grounded flights over concerns about volcanic ash clouds, which can be hazardous to aircraft. Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong also postponed flights, with plans to resume routes on Thursday.

“Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to safe operations of the aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds,” AirAsia explained as it confirmed multiple cancellations.

In recent weeks, Lewotobi has been highly active, with multiple eruptions resulting in nine fatalities, 31 injuries, and over 11,000 residents evacuated, according to Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency. Volcanic ash is known to damage jet engines and reduce visibility by scouring windshields, posing serious risks for flights.

Jetstar announced it would suspend all Bali-bound flights until Thursday noon, citing safety concerns, while Qantas reported disruptions to flights at Denpasar Airport due to the ash. Virgin Australia also listed cancelled routes to Sydney and Melbourne, while Malaysia Airlines canceled six flights on Wednesday.

“Due to this natural event impacting flight operations, airlines are offering affected passengers the options of refunds, rescheduling, or re-routing,” stated Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, general manager of Bali’s international airport. He reported that 12 domestic and 22 international flights were affected on Tuesday, with further disruptions on Wednesday.

While Bali’s airport operator, PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia, confirmed the airport was “operating as normal” following airspace tests indicating no detected ash, Lewotobi erupted again from midnight into early Wednesday, with fresh ash visible from the crater.

Indonesia, positioned along the Pacific Ring of Fire, experiences frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Neighboring Lombok Island was hit by deadly quakes in 2018, resulting in over 500 casualties and a major tourist exodus.

As the situation unfolds, airlines are closely monitoring volcanic activity and are expected to provide further updates to travelers. (ILKHA)