Dozens of flights have been cancelled across Indonesia after a volcano shot hot ash more than six miles into the air, creating clouds that have forced airlines to ground their flights to avoid dangerous flying conditions.
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, found on the Indonesian island of Flores, erupted at 5.35pm local time on Tuesday and spewed out 10,000m (about 32,800ft) of grey clouds in the air that could be seen from 150km away.
Airlines will usually cancel or delay flights if there is volcanic ash within their flight path for the safety of passengers.
Jet aircraft engines, which power the pressurisation system in cabins, can be damaged by ash and can ultimately fail. Ash can also block visibility in the cockpit.
AirAsia said that the Mount Lewotobi eruption has caused volcanic ash clouds, “which can pose a significant threat to safe operations for aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds”.
The airline’s regional operations, such as AirAsia Malaysia, AirAsia Indonesia and AirAsia X Malaysia to and from Bali, Lombok and Labuan Bajo have been cancelled or rescheduled on Wednesday.
The airline said it has notified its passengers and will get them on the next available flight, depending on the weather.
Jetstar also told its passengers that several flights between Australia and Bali have been cancelled.
“At this stage, forecasts show the ash cloud is expected to clear by later tonight [on Wednesday],” the airline said. “As a result, this afternoon’s flights will be delayed to operate later this evening. We are reaching out to customers on these flights to advise them of the delay.”
Mount Lewotobi is approximately 400 miles from Bali, a popular Indonesian destination among Western travellers and backpackers who are drawn to its pristine beaches, nightlife, surfing hotspots and yoga retreats.
Bali’s main airport, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, has reported that a large number of flights have been cancelled due to the volcanic eruption.
Arrivals to the airport from Singapore, most cities in Australia, and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia make up the most cancellations, while other flights have been able to land, albeit some almost two hours behind schedule.
Flights departing Bali have also been affected, with some journeys to India, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and domestic Indonesian flights cancelled late Tuesday and throughout Wednesday.
Alongside AirAsia and Jetstar, other airlines such as Virgin Australia, Vietnam Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, KLM, Tigerair and Batik Air have seen delays and cancellations due to the ash clouds.
Indonesia’s two other main aviation hubs, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta and Kualanamu International Airport near Medan, are located further away from Mount Lewotobi.
Both airports’ flight schedules are less affected by the ash clouds, apart from a handful of cancellations and delays on Wednesday.
An eruption of Mount Lewotobi in November killed nine people and injured dozens. It is one of Indonesia’s most active volcanoes, having also erupted in May.
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