Is it secure to fly to Bali? Flights resume after volcanic eruption causes cancellations and delays

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Revealed on 18/06/2025 - 11:48 GMT+2 • Up to date 19/06/2025 - 9:32 GMT+2

ADVERTISEMENT Flights have been cancelled in Indonesia earlier this week after a volcano erupted, releasing a large cloud of ash.

All flights to and from the resort island of Bali have now resumed following the disruption.

An eruption from Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki on Tuesday afternoon despatched a thick gray plume up 11km into the sky, making a mushroom-shaped ash cloud seen so far as 150 kilometres away. A number of extra eruptions on Tuesday night despatched ash up 5km into the sky.

It erupted once more on Wednesday morning, belching a 1km excessive ash cloud, based on Indonesia’s volcanology institute, which has raised the alert to the very best stage. The hazard zone the place persons are really useful to depart has been expanded to eight kilometres from the crater.

However, ash and particles fell in numerous locations outdoors of the hazard zone, together with the villages of Boru, Hewa and Watobuku. Some residents from Nurabelen village in Ile Bura subdistrict fled to evacuation websites in Konga to keep away from the affect of the eruption, the Nationwide Catastrophe Administration Company mentioned in an announcement.

Indonesia eruption results in flight cancellations The eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki led to numerous cancellations and delays on Wednesday.

A complete of 87 flights to and from Bali have been affected on 18 June, based on the airport operator. That included 66 worldwide flights connecting the resort island to Australia, Singapore and Vietnam and 21 home flights.

By Thursday morning, the ash cloud had cleared and all flights from Bali to places in Australia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia and China, Gede Eka Sandi Asmadi have been working on schedule.

Arrivals and departures from airways together with Qantas, JetStar, Singapore Airways and Virgin Australia now seem like working easily.

Two airports within the East Nusa Tenggara province additionally reopened on Thursday after being closed because of the eruption.

The closure of Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport in Maumere has been prolonged till Friday as authorities are nonetheless involved about some volcanic ash within the air posing a danger to plane, the airport's operator mentioned in a publish on social media.

Why is volcanic ash harmful for planes? Volcanic ash clouds pose a danger to planes as a result of they'll trigger extreme harm to plane engines and have an effect on flight controls.

When ash enters a aircraft engine, the glass inside it melts, which then sticks to varied different engine elements. Sensors can fail, and the ash can block the 1000's of tiny holes that direct air via the turbine blades to maintain the engine cool.

Flying via an ash cloud can be a bit like sandblasting the surface of the aircraft and may scale back visibility for pilots by damaging the glass within the cockpit.

Why is Indonesia an eruption hotspot? There are round 130 energetic volcanoes in Indonesia. The archipelago sits between probably the most seismically energetic area of the world, the Pacific Ring of Hearth, and the Alpide Belt, an space the place there are a lot of eruptions and earthquakes.

Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki final erupted in Could and likewise in March. Indonesia's volcanology company says it has erupted a complete of 427 instances this yr.

Although individuals who stay near the volcano have discovered to stay with it, seismic exercise can nonetheless be very harmful. An eruption last November killed 9 individuals and injured dozens extra.