Bali flights cancelled as volcano erupts

Air New Zealand has cancelled Bali flights today due to an erupting volcano at Mount Agung.

Travellers were urged to check their airlines' websites after the volcano began spewing water vapour and ash into the atmosphere on Thursday. Mount Agung is about 70km northeast of Bali's tourist hotspot of Kuta. Its last major eruption was in 1963 and killed about 1200 people.

Air New Zealand says flight NZ245 from Auckland to Bali, due to depart today, has  been cancelled as a result of the volcanic activity. The return flight NZ246 from Denpasar to Auckland was also cancelled.

The Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar will be shut on Friday until 7pm (local time), airport operator Angkasa Pura and the country's disaster agency said.

Flight Centre said a number of airlines flying from Australia to Bali had also opted to cancel or delay flights overnight and today.

Ash cloud Mount Agung produces can pose a threat to aircraft flying in the area. Volcanic ash is hard and abrasive, and can damage propellers and turbo compressor blades, as well as scratching cockpit windows.

''At Flight Centre we are closely monitoring the situation and working with our customers due to travel to the region to provide support and advice, said Sue Matson, Flight Centre's general manager, retail.

"For any customers with questions we advise they contact their store or travel expert as soon as possible to get the latest advice on their individual itineraries and travel insurance policies.

The agent said it was important customers did not assume that all flights would be cancelled.

''There have been a number of events world-wide recently, such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes, which highlights the importance of travel insurance and so we recommend anyone soon to travel overseas to make sure they have sufficient cover for their trip,'' she said.

It was a timely reminder that insurance should be bought at the time of booking.

Aussie flights also affected 

In Australia, flights between Sydney, Melbourne and Perth and Bali have been delayed, cancelled and turned back because of the renewed activity.

More than 20 flights across Jetstar, Qantas, Virgin and Air Asia were disrupted between Thursday night and Friday morning due to the ash cloud moving toward Denpasar airport, which is now closed.

Virgin cancelled two flights between Sydney and Denpasar on Thursday and said another scheduled to depart the island on Friday morning faced delays.

Mount Agung  began shooting ash 2000 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.

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.

- NZ Herald and AAP

Add a Comment