Singapore Airlines, Garuda Indonesia Persero and other carriers canceled flights to Bali because of a volcanic eruption nearby, leaving holiday makers stranded and threatening the area’s key tourism industry.
Indonesia shut airports on Bali as well as in eastern Java and Lombok island from Thursday night due to the eruption of Mount Raung in East Java, with flag carrier Garuda saying 112 of its flights were affected. The airports were due to reopen at 9:30 p.m. Friday, weather permitting.
Ash from the volcano already had disrupted some flights earlier this month. In the past day, winds again pushed the ash cloud close to Bali’s Denpasar airport, Jetstar Airways Pty. said in a statement. The island’s beaches, surfing, culture and nightlife make it among Asia’s most popular tourism destinations, with mid-year traditionally the high season for visitors.
“If it lasts for three to four days the impact will be significant,” Ngurah Wijaya, chairman of the Bali Tourism Board, said by telephone. “We have to deal not only with cancellations from tourists but also we have to take care of those who are stranded here because they cannot leave.”
He added there isn’t volcanic ash on the ground, but ash clouds could affect flights. The Indonesian archipelago is lined with volcanoes, and eruptions have regularly led to temporary flight disruptions.
In 1982, all four engines on a Boeing 747 plane operated by British Airways stalled when the plane encountered ash spewed from an Indonesian volcano. The plane fell for almost four miles before the pilot was able to restart three engines and make an emergency landing in Jakarta.
Bloomberg