Airlines are scrambling to cancel further flights to Bali after the island’s Ngurah Rai airport in Denpasar was closed until at least 7pm local time Friday due to ash from the erupting Mt Agung Volcano.
The airport is expected to reassess conditions and update airlines about noon Bali time.
Jetstar Friday said flights from Singapore, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne would be canceled as well as return flights to Cairns, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane.
“Flying conditions around Bali continue to be affected by the ash cloud from the Mount Agung volcano, and Denpasar airport is currently closed,” Jetstar said.
“As a result, we have canceled several flights this morning to and from Bali.”
The airline said its senior pilots would make a further assessment of the situation and provide another update at 11am.
It said it was contacting affected passengers.
“Customers traveling to or from Bali, including those booked via travel agents or travel websites, should ensure that we have their mobile phone number and email address,” it said.
AirAsia canceled more than 40 flights into and out of Bali
“Most of AirAsia flights from and to Denpasar, Bali have been cancelled today,” the airline said “Several flights remain as scheduled until further notice.
“AirAsia will notify guests of their flight status via email and SMS. AirAsia strongly encourages all guests to update their contact details at airasia.com to ensure that they are notified of any updates to their flights.”
Virgin Australia canceled already delayed flights from Denpasar to Sydney and Brisbane and flights departing for Bali from the two Australian cities.
“The safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority and our team of meteorologists continues to monitor the situation in consultation with the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre,” the airline said.
“Guests with changes to their flight schedule will be contacted directly by SMS and email.
Please continue to check the flight status page virg.in/vaflightstatus for the most up to date information about your Bali flight before proceeding to the airport.”
The Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) said a continuous emission had been observed at the volcano and was reaching a height of more than 23,000ft.
The ash cloud is moving to the west south-west and there was increasing seismic activity, it said.
VONA put the color code at orange — one below the top red level — meaning the volcano is exhibiting heightened unrest with an increased likelihood of eruption or an eruption is underway with no or minor ash emission.
The timing is unfortunate as it comes some Australian states enter the busy school holiday travel period.
The new cancellations are in addition to flights axed by AirAsia, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia on Thursday night.
AirAsia canceled flights from Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Perth, Jakarta, Surabaya and Manilla and postponed several others until further notice.
The airline is offering a number of recovery options, including full refunds.
They also included the ability to change a flight to a new travel date on the same route within 14 calendar days without additional costs (subject to seat availability) or retain the value of the fare for 90 days from the day of issue.
WATCH Virgin Australia’s volcanic ash assessment video.
Virgin canceled a return flight Thursday and Jetstar said it had canceled six flights to Bali from Sydney, Perth, Cairns, Melbourne and Adelaide. Four return flights to Adelaide, Perth Sydney and Melbourne were also axed.
Two flights on their way to Denpasar also returned to Australia and the Friday morning Denpasar-Cairns and Singapore-Denpasar-Perth flights were also canceled.
Qantas said a flight each from Sydney and Melbourne to Bali had turned back to Australia and two flights due to leave Bali Thursday night had been delayed.
A spokeswoman said customers on the delayed flights were being given accommodation and the airline was watching developments.
“We are monitoring the advice from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre and our team of senior pilots and meteorologists will make an assessment when flights can be resumed,” she said.
“We will continue to provide customers with updates as the situation develops and contact them via email or SMS if their flight is affected.
“While these disruptions are frustrating, we always put safety first.”
Qantas customers were advised to check their flight status on Qantas.com.
Mt Agung caused widespread disruptions towards the end of 2017, throwing the travel plans of thousands of holidaymakers into chaos.
More than 38,000 local residents have been evacuated to shelters and a 12km exclusive zone placed around the volcano, which is 70km from Kuta.
An eruption in 1963 killed almost 2000 people and was of the explosive intensity as Mount St Helens in 1981 and Mount Pinatubo in 1991.
