Some Bali flights resume but backlog expected following Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki eruption
Bali's airport has reopened following the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki but holiday-makers are warned to expect disruptions to continue.
Indonesia's transport ministry said some 14,000 travellers had been affected by the eruption, with the backlog expected to take some time to clear despite Denpasar's I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport returning to normal operation.
The alarm was raised on Tuesday evening when Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted, shooting hot ash and smoke up into the air.
A number of flights between capital cities and Bali scheduled for Wednesday morning were cancelled, while others slated for Wednesday evening were delayed for hours.
Local authorities raised the volcanic alert to the highest level and two villages were evacuated.
Denpasar airport operators said in a statement on Wednesday that 87 flights were affected by the eruption — 66 international and 21 domestic.
The international flights affected included legs to and from Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Perth, Sydney, Singapore, Auckland, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh.
Here's what travellers should know.
One of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, Mount Lewotobi is located about 840 kilometres east of Bali on the island of Flores.
It consists of twin volcanoes (Lewotobi Laki-Laki and Lewotobi Perempuan) and most recently erupted in March, with flights disrupted due to air pollution.
It is one of 120 active volcanoes in the country.
In November 2024, the Indonesian government announced plans to rehouse thousands of residents around the volcano following an eruption that killed nine people.
Three years prior, 24 hikers died when another volcano, Mount Marapi in Sumatra, erupted.
Despite the risks, volcano tourism remains a prominent and popular activity in Indonesia.
If you're still set on travelling to Bali, there are a few things you should consider.
Tourism lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney David Beirman said above all, holiday-makers should prepare for further disruptions.
"International civil aviation basically has a standing rule: If you have a volcanic eruption which produces an awful lot of ash in the atmosphere, don't fly there because the ash clogs up the engines of aircraft," he said.
"We're seeing this in places even as far away as Santorini in Greece, which has had a history of volcanic eruptions going back thousands of years, that there's a potential that it's always going to happen."
To minimise impact, Dr Beirman also urged flyers to take out travel insurance or pay for flexible flights.
"Volcanoes don't erupt every day and it's probably a good idea to make sure that you've got flexible airline tickets and flexible travel arrangements in that unlikely event that something like a volcano [eruption] is going to happen," he said.
"If they have to stay extra nights in a hotel or their flights are delayed … their insurance policies will, if it's the right type of policy, usually cover all those things."
Denpasar airport released a statement on Wednesday night confirming that no ash was found in the airport area and flights had resumed.
However, it encouraged people to check with their airline before journeying to the airport.
The airport website showed some airlines resuming flights as scheduled on Thursday, while others had been delayed or cancelled.
Some airlines, including Jetstar, had restarted flights.
"At this stage, conditions are expected to remain clear on Thursday and our flights are planned to operate to schedule," it said in a statement on its website Wednesday evening.
Travellers can check their flight status here:
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