- Mount Raung: Thousands stranded in Bali as volcanic ash cloud ... "Raung is a very high volcano, just over 3,000 metres ... Mount Raung ash cloud could be ...
- Jetstar has cancelled flights in and out of Bali as an ash cloud from a volcanic eruption in Indonesia ... said the Mount Raung volcano ... erupted over there, so it ...
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Volcanic eruption may affect Bali flights
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Lava Churns Inside the Crater of Mount Raung
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Jetstar has cancelled flights in and out of Bali's ...
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Indonesia volcanic ash causes new Bali airport closure
bbc.com -
Mount Raung: Thousands stranded in Bali as volcanic ash cloud shuts down airports
UpdatedThousands of holidaymakers are stranded in Bali as a volcanic ash cloud shuts down flights to and from the Indonesian island.Denpasar, Lombok, Jember and Banyuwangi airports have been closed by Indonesian authorities as a cloud of ash billows from Mount Raung, about 150 kilometres from Denpasar Airport.
Mount Ruang, about 150 kilometres from Denpasar Airport, could continue erupting for several weeks.
Indonesian authorities will decide at 9:30pm tonight (local time) if Bali's international airport should remain closed.
Volcanoes are very hard to predict but the indication at the moment is this activity could continue into the future.Steph Bond, Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre
In a statement this morning, Virgin Australia said customers whose flights had been cancelled as a result of the volcanic activity would be able to change their booking to another flight within 14 days.
In a statement, Jetstar said unfavourable winds had pushed the volcanic ash cloud close to Denpasar Airport and visibility remained an issue.
"We're not satisfied it is safe to operate services in these conditions," the airline said.
"We regret the disruption these cancellations have caused travellers during the past week, but the safety of our customers and crew is our first priority.
"Our operations team is looking to put on additional services in and out of Bali over the coming days, subject to flying conditions improving."
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre's Emile Jansons said there was a risk for flights near Denpasar as the ash cloud had reached an altitude of six kilometres.
"Raung is a very high volcano, just over 3,000 metres above sea level. So even a relatively not very strong eruption from the volcano will reach aircraft levels," he said.
Mount Raung ash cloud could be 'continuous feature'
Video: Volcanic ash cloud halts Indonesian flights (ABC News)Media player: "Space" to play, "M" to mute, "left" and "right" to seek.
The ash cloud may clear over the next 24 hours with winds forecast to turn, but the volcano itself could continue erupting for weeks, advisory centre forecaster Steph Bond said.
"This could be a continuous feature at least into the near future," she said.
"Volcanoes are very hard to predict but the indication at the moment is this activity could continue into the future.
"One volcano a few years ago had this type of activity for a few weeks.
"As to whether Bali's airport is affected depends on the wind."
The ash cloud from Mount Raung, which is located in the eastern part of Java, is extending 300km south-east of the volcano and about five kilometres up into the atmosphere, she said.
"This volcano is a little bit different to others, its characteristic of this volcano to let off continuous eruptions," she said.
"Unlike other volcanoes that just do one explosive eruption high into the atmosphere this volcano is located near the airport of Denpasar which makes it high profile despite being lower in the atmosphere."
McCormack family reunion flights cancelled
Among those affected by the cancellations are the extended McCormack family of about 60 people from "all over Australia" who had planned to celebrate a birthday in Bali.
Traci Lew Fatt had booked to fly Darwin to Denpasar on Saturday morning with Jetstar for her husband's brother's 40th birthday and a weeks holiday.
She learned about 11:00am her Jetstar flight had been cancelled.
"It's actually been organised for over a year," she said.
"We're pretty disappointed. I got an email this morning that was from Jetstar, saying it had been cancelled and to ring customer service to get an update."
She said the hardest part of the situation was "not being informed properly".
Contact numbers for tourists
Jetstar
- Inside Australia: 131 538
- Outside Australia: +61 3 9645 5999
- Indonesia: 001 803 852 9779
- Singapore: (65) 6499 9702
Virgin
- Inside Australia: 136 789
- Outside Australia: +61 7 3295 2296
- Indonesia: 001 803 061 2002
Air Asia
- Inside Australia: 1300 760 330
- Inside Indonesia: +6221 2927 0999
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Within Australia: 1300 555 135
- Outside Australia: +61 2 6261 3305
"There's no-one you can speak to get an update," she said.
"You're speaking to someone in the Philippines that really has no idea.
"I asked, 'flights were cancelled today, is there a chance the flight may be going tonight?'.
"They didn't know anything about it. As far as we know it's been cancelled if you want another flight there's one on July 17."
She went online and booked a Sunday flight to Bali with AirAsia, hoping "they might be going if that all clears up over the weekend."
Ms Lew Fatt's mother, who works as a travel agent, warned not all travel insurance policies would cover flight delays caused by volcanic eruptions.
"Depending on what sort of insurance you have and from which company, they may deem it an 'act of God' in which case they don't have to pay," Sandra Lew Fatt said.
She advised anyone travelling to Indonesia should take "enough dollars".
"Just in case you're stuck and you need extra accommodation and extra meals," she said.
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