Flights Disrupted As Volcano Erupts In Indonesia

Flight operations to and from Bali faced disruption after a volcano in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province erupted, prompting cancellations and delays of over 20 scheduled trips while three nearby airports were shut down.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki violently spewed ash up to 11 kilometres into the sky on Tuesday, pushing authorities to raise the hazard alert to its maximum level.

The mountain erupted again the next day, releasing another thick ash plume reaching about 1 kilometre high.

A total of 26 flights, both domestic and international, were either delayed or cancelled, impacting more than 14,000 travellers, according to the transport ministry.

Several flights from countries including India, Singapore, and Australia to Bali were among those disrupted.

“Forecasts show the ash cloud is expected to clear by later tonight,” JetStar said in a midday travel bulletin.

Air travel to nearby islands like Lombok and Labuan Bajo was also affected, with several scheduled services either postponed or scrapped.

For safety reasons, three airports, including Fransiskus Xaverius Seda in Maumere, suspended operations from Wednesday until Thursday, transport officials confirmed.

As a precaution, local disaster management teams evacuated dozens of residents from two communities close to the volcano, Avi Hallan from the disaster agency reported.

“Streets in the two villages were filled with thick ash, gravel, and sand,” she said, noting that no injuries or deaths had occurred.

The volcano had previously erupted in May.

Indonesia is situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone notorious for frequent volcanic and seismic activity caused by the shifting of tectonic plates.