Bali flight update for Aussie travellers
Bali's airport has reopened following the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki but travellers have been warned to expect further disruptions.
Video showed a thick cloud of orange smoke rising on Tuesday evening from the 1585 metre volcano on the island of Flores.
The volcano erupted again on Wednesday morning sending an ash cloud 11km into the air that could be seen as far away as 90km and even 150km away from mountainous areas of East Nusa Tenggara.
Currently, no casualties have been reported, but volcanic ash can damage and disable aircraft engines and with ash cloud also affecting airspace, several flights in and out of Australia and New Zealand were cancelled.
The volcano erupted multiple times in November, killing nine people and forcing thousands to flee.
Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia cancelled 10 flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast to Denpasar, home of Bali's main airport – I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
A spokesperson told news.com.au that currently, today's Bali services are unimpacted.
The airline was working to reaccommodate all guests on the next available flight following the cancelled services.
'Our team is working hard to ensure all passengers booked on our services get to their destination safely and as soon as possible, and we encourage guests travelling to or from Bali to check the latest updates on their flight status via the Virgin Australia website or app,' the spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.
It was working with the Denpasar airport to schedule additional services for today (June 19).
News.com.au understands Virgin Australia has a Guest Compensation Policy which sets out what customers are entitled to when their flights are disrupted, including other flight options, a credit or refund for the value of the booking, and how they can make claims for reasonable costs incurred in connection with the disruption.
Jetstar
Jetstar cancelled four early morning flights between Australia and Bali on Wednesday.
'Impacted customers have been notified directly and provided a range of options,' Jetstar said in a statement.
With conditions expected to remain clear, the airline will resume flights between the two destinations today.
'We continue to recommend customers check their flight status on Jetstar.com before coming to the airport,' the airline said in a statement on Thursday.
'Safety is always our number one priority, and we thank our customers who were impacted by Wednesday's disruptions for their patience and understanding.
'Customers who still require support are asked to contact us here, and click 'Start Live Chat' where one of our customer service representatives will assist you.'
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand's flight NZ290 from Auckland to Bali today will operate as scheduled.
'We continue to closely monitor the conditions,' chief operating officer Alex Marren said.
Qantas
On Wednesday, Qantas had two flights to Denpasar scheduled (departing from Sydney and Melbourne) that were delayed by between one and two hours.
News.com.au understands Qantas' Bali flights are currently scheduled to operate as normal today (Thursday).
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