Aussies grounded after Bali volcano erupts

Australians can resume plans to fly to and from Bali, a day after a volcanic ash cloud had forced the closure of Denpasar Airport in Indonesia.

Flights have resumed for holidaymakers travelling to and from Bali after ash from Indonesia's Mount Agung disrupted operations on Friday.

Thousands of Australians had put their dreams of a Bali holiday on hold, but Virgin Australia and Jetstar have been able to resume normal flight schedules after Denpasar Airport reopened.

Flying conditions have improved and in some cases relief flights have been added to normal schedules, the airlines announced on Saturday morning.

Warnings still remain in place, lest the weather conditions change.

"Volcanic activity is unpredictable, so please be aware that conditions can change rapidly," Jetstar said in a statement on Saturday morning.

Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency said more than 8300 passengers worldwide had been affected.

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.

Mount Agung is about 70 kilometres northeast of Bali tourist hotspot Kuta.

Its last major eruption was in 1963 and killed about 1200 people.

Activity at the volcano was high in 2017 and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.

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.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world