Australian airlines cancel several flights between Australia and Bali after volcanic eruption

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Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, on the tourist island of Flores, erupted at 11.05am on July 7.

PHOTO: AFP

JAKARTA - Australian airlines including Qantas, its low-cost carrier Jetstar, and Virgin Australia said on July 7 that they have cancelled several flights between Australia and the Indonesian island of Bali following a volcanic eruption.

Jetstar said several flights were cancelled “due to volcanic ash caused by an eruption of Mount Lewotobi”.

On July 7, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,584m-high twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted at 11.05am,

spewing an ash cloud that reached as high as 18km

Thick grey and black clouds from the volcano, which is located in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province, were moving northwards, north-eastwards and north-westwards from the crater, causing flight disruptions.

It forced the cancellation of 24 flights at Bali’s international airport, said general manager Ahmad Syaugi Shahab.

“Several airlines serving the routes to Labuan Bajo (on Flores),Australia, Singapore and South Korea have confirmed cancellations and delays,” he said in a statement.

He said the airlines included Virgin Australia, Jetstar Airways and AirAsia Indonesia.

Despite some carriers cancelling flights, the airport manager said “the spread of volcanic ash has not affected Bali airspace”.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times in November 2024, killing nine people and forcing thousands to evacuate, as well as the cancellation of scores of international flights to Bali.

In June

, dozens of flights to and from Bali