An erupting volcano in Indonesia has led to the cancellation of several Jetstar flights in and out of Bali.
Six flights were cancelled by Jetstar on Friday morning due to the risk posed by Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in Indonesia.
While afternoon flights are currently unaffected, Jetstar will continue to closely monitor the developments to determine whether any further cancellations are required.
The volcano on Flores Island in Indonesia erupted at 11pm local time on Thursday, emitting smoke and eight kilometres into the air, according to BSS News.
“Impacted customers have been notified directly and provided a range of options, including rebooking on the next available flight,” Jetstar said in a statement.
“At this stage, there is no impact to this afternoon’s scheduled flights. We continue to monitor the situation closely and will contact customers directly if there are any further changes to our schedule.
“We recommend passengers check their flight status on Jetstar.com before coming to the airport.
“Safety is always our number one priority, and we thank this morning’s customers for their patience and understanding.”
Virgin Australia said it expects two of its Friday flights, VA45 BNE–DPS and VA91 MEL–DP, to be impacted by delays, with the departures moved to the afternoon.
This will delay the corresponding return flights from Bali, an airline spokesperson told Skynews.com.au.
“Meteorologists are closely monitoring ash cloud movement in Indonesia following the eruption of Mount Lewotobi overnight,” the spokesperson said.
“Safety is our top priority and based on the current forecast we expect some delays to Bali services today.”
The airline warned further impacts may be necessary based on the movement of the ash cloud.
Passengers travelling to and from Bali on Friday are urged to monitor their flight information on the Virgin Australia website and app.
Qantas has confirmed there are no impacts to flights at this stage, but the airline is continuing to monitor the situation.
The 1703-metre volcano erupted for 11 minutes, with Indonesia’s volcano agency saying in a statement: “The ash column was observed grey to black with thick intensity.”
No damage to nearby communities has been reported but the agency said there was a potential for volcanic mudflow due to heavy rainfall.
An exclusion zone has been created about 7-8km around the volcano.
