Dozens of flights cancelled as Indonesia's Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts
About three three dozen flights between Australia and Bali have been cancelled or delayed following a massive eruption of one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spewed hot ash and smoke reaching 10,000 metres high when it erupted on Tuesday evening, affecting airspace between the two countries.
About a dozen Jetstar flights between capital cities and Bali scheduled for Wednesday morning were cancelled, while flight trackers showed delays of up to three hours for about another dozen flights scheduled this afternoon and evening.
"At this stage, forecasts show the ash cloud is expected to clear by later tonight," the airline said in a written statement on its website.
The airline said it reached out to impacted customers to discuss their options.
Virgin Australia also cancelled all flights between Bali and Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, while Qantas-operated flights showed delays.
Singapore Airlines, Air India, and Air New Zealand were among the international airlines that also cancelled flights to and from and Bali because of the ash cloud.
Air New Zealand said it was working to re-book impacted customers.
"The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority and we are closely monitoring the situation," said Air New Zealand's chief operating officer Alex Marren in a statement.
The Indonesian government also closed the Fransiskus Xaverius Seda airport on Flores island to ensure the safety of its passengers.
Local authorities raised volcanic activity alerts to their highest level before Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, in the country's south-central region, began to emit a massive plume of smoke that could be seen from 150 kilometres away.
Authorities expanded the danger zone surrounding the volcano — marking where volcanic activity made the area unsafe — to 8 kilometres from the crater.
The local disaster-mitigation agency evacuated two villages near the volcano and said no casualties were reported.
Residents were warned to be vigilant about heavy rainfall triggering lava flows in rivers originating at the volcano.
Videos of the eruption that began around 5:30pm local time showed villagers watching as the ashes expanded into a mushroom-shaped ash cloud.
Local villager Frans Kino said it was the first time he had seen an eruption this big on the mountain.
"It looks like this eruption is quite large. Up there, it must be dark," he said, pointing to where he lived up the hill.
Indonesia's Geology Agency said in a written statement that the volcano unleashed 10,000 metres of thick grey clouds on Tuesday afternoon, following significant volcanic activity.
It reported 50 deep volcanic earthquakes in 2 hours, compared to the daily average of eight to 10 events.
A previous eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki in November killed nine people and injured dozens.
Lewotobi Laki-Laki — whose name means "male Lewotobi" — is a twin volcano to Lewotobi Perempuan, which translates to "female Lewotobi".
The 1,584-metre mountain is on the Flores island of Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province and is just one of the 120 active volcanoes along seismic fault lines in the Pacific Basin known as the "ring of fire".
Indonesia is an archipelago of 270 million people with frequent seismic activity.
ABC/AP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Air New Zealand switches on Starlink in domestic trial
Air New Zealand has launched its trial of Starlink high-speed in-flight wi-fi, switching on the service onboard an Airbus A320 (ZK-OXE) operating domestic services, with an ATR turboprop to join the trial later this month. In-flight wi-fi is being offered free of charge during the trial, with the airline keen to assess how the service performs in real-world conditions and customer feedback before it makes any decision on a domestic fleet rollout. 'We look forward to hearing from our customers as they test out onboard wi-fi. Their feedback will help guide our decision-making as we consider connectivity options for our domestic fleet,' says Air New Zealand chief digital officer Nikhil Ravishankar. The airline will be the first to test Starlink on a turboprop aircraft when the ATR joins the trial. Air New Zealand currently has in-flight connectivity services provided by Viasat on its international fleet, which the airline has previously said could come under review if the domestic Starlink trial proves successful. SpaceX's Starlink has taken the in-flight connectivity world by storm since Hawaiian Airlines became the first major commercial airline to offer the service in early 2024. Unlike earlier in-flight connectivity solutions using geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite constellations, Starlink's constellation is closer to Earth, in low Earth orbit (LEO), delivering high-speed and low-latency service, supporting in-flight live video streaming, live TV, social media, gaming and shopping. Airlines already offering or committing to Starlink service include Air Baltic, Air France, Hawaiian Airlines, KLM, Qatar Airways, Scandinavian Airlines, United Airlines and Zip Air. United Airlines recently started offering Starlink service onboard its regional jets as part of a fleet rollout but switched off the service this month to address an interference issue with pilot communications.
News.com.au
12 hours ago
- News.com.au
Unusual way of flying to Europe in business that's often cheaper and quicker than well-worn routes
When travelling to Europe, Australians typically choose from a limited range of options when it comes to airlines and stopover points. It's Qantas via Singapore, or increasingly direct from Perth to London, or one of the major Middle Eastern carriers – Qatar, Emirates and Etihad – via their homebases in Doha, Dubai or Abu Dhabi. But there's another option that has flown under the radar, pardon the pun, which is strange given it's often quicker and cheaper. Thai Airways has a growing presence in Australia and its convenient daily services to Bangkok offer a host of options for getting to popular destinations in Europe. The airline is renowned for its exceptional on-board service and high-end, restaurant-quality cuisine, so the time and cost savings only make it more of an appealing consideration. And those wanting to splash out and fly at the pointy end of the plane in business class can also nab more affordable fares than those travelling via the Middle East on larger carriers. The time and cost comparison is clear when measuring Thai Airways with popular carriers. crunched the numbers looking at a flight to the two most popular destinations for Australians – London and Paris – in early autumn, on the shoulder of peak season. Flying from Sydney to London on Qatar involves 25 hours and 30 minutes of travel, including a 95-minute stopover in Doha, at a cost of $9508 roundtrip in business class. Qantas can deliver you fastest, with a total flying time of 23 hours and 55 minutes, inclusive of a brief 90-minute transit in Perth, but it'll set you back $10,298 return. By comparison, flying Thai Airways to London requires 25 hours and 25 minutes, including the 3 hours and 20 minutes transit time in Bangkok, for $9464 return at the pointy end of the plane. Those heading to the French capital can secure even bigger savings. Flying business class on Etihad to Paris via Abu Dhabi will take 24 hours and 20 minutes, including a 140-minute stopover, and cost $10,536. Qantas can get you there in 24 hours and 35 minutes, with a two-and-half hour stopover in Perth, for $11,344, while a ticket on Qatar sets you back $9288 and takes 25 hours and 40 minutes, with an almost four-hour stop in Doha. But flying Thai Airways from Sydney to Paris takes 24 hours and 20 minutes, with an almost three-hour stop in Bangkok, for $9188. There are periods throughout the year where the cost difference for a business class ticket between Thai Airways and the major carriers is even greater. For example, in August, in the midst of peak season, return business fares to London are $1600 cheaper on Thai Airways, while a trip to Paris in the same period is about $1500 cheaper. The airline has invested heavily in expanding its international services over recent years, adding dozens of new routes, with several in Europe. In addition to London and Paris, Australians transiting via Bangkok can now fly directly onto Copenhagen, Milan, Brussels, Oslo, Stockholm, Zurich, Munich, Frankfurt and Istanbul. A stack of new aircraft are on the way in coming years. It also recently announced plans to roll out a new business class and premium economy offering across its entire long-haul fleet of Airbus A350s, Boeing 787s and Boeing 777s. In particular, the 'state-of-the-art' business suites are set to impress, with privacy doors and a host of tech features, like huge screens, Bluetooth audio and wireless battery charging. It has also bolstered its presence in Australia, now offering twice-daily flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Bangkok, as well as recently relaunching its direct service from Perth to the Thai capital. Thai Airways operates twice-daily services from Sydney and Melbourne to Bangkok, and once a day from Perth to Bangkok.
ABC News
14 hours ago
- ABC News
Viking longship set to burn on winter solstice at inland Cape Clear
More than 100 kilometres from the ocean, tiny Victorian town Cape Clear has a lighthouse and a "Viking longship". The latter, dubbed Erika the Red and measuring 15 metres from dragon head to stern, has been hand-built by the very community members who plan to set it alight on June 21 to mark the winter solstice. It's all part of the Cape Clear Winter Solstice Bonfire, an increasingly popular event in the inland town, population about 150, about 150 kilometres west of Melbourne. Cape Clear resident Evelyn Cannon said the Viking vessel's seaworthiness was questionable at best — it's missing its starboard side — but that wasn't the point. "Our little Winter Solstice festival has been going eight years now," Ms Cannon said. Ms Cannon said the event was becoming quite popular. "There were probably 30 to 50 people the first year. Last year it was 180," she said. "Who knows how many will come this year to watch us burn a Viking ship?" Erika was built and designed by Cape Clear woodworker Terry Kelly, with help from locals, using materials collected from across the district. "The shields on the side of the ship were made from packing material from a wind farm and they were painted by children from the Cape Clear Primary School," Ms Cannon said. "Our story is based on Erik the Red who was a famous Viking who came to America. "We are an inland town with a lighthouse, so we kind of felt his imaginary sister Erika the Red may have visited a place like this." While Mr Kelly admitted he was no shipwright, he mused shipbuilding might be in his blood, via Norwegian ancestors. "I don't think they made Viking boats but, in the 19th century, they were building fishing boats or other boats along the coast there," he said. "We spent at least a dozen hours on the design and I made the head and the tail at home. "The design of the dragon head was inspired by a ship in the Viking museum in Oslo." Erika the Red is the second ship to be burned as part of Cape Clear's annual Winter Solstice Bonfire. The township torched the Lightning last year, which was loosely modelled on a clipper that sank off the Geelong coast in 1869 after catching fire with a cargo of wool on its way back to England. Cape Clear was named after an island off the Irish coast by Irish immigrants who settled in the western district. Its most famous landmark is a 13-metre-high functioning lighthouse, built in 2008 by members of the local Hocking family who felt every good cape deserved its own beacon. Sunset is technically at 5:13pm but Erika the Red will be set alight at nautical twilight (when the centre of the winter sun dips several degrees below the horizon) near the Cape Clear Hall at 6:15pm.
