TripZillaFollowing Mount Agung’s second eruption on Saturday, 25 Nov 2017, Indonesia has issued the highest aviation warning. Its Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Centre (PVMBG) has also raised its flight alert from orange to red on Sunday, 26 Nov 2017, as Mount Agung continued to spew a significant amount of ash.
The large amount of volcanic ash covering the air over the airport has led to Bali airport authorities shutting down the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (also known as Denpasar International Airport) for 24 hours starting from 7am (local time) on Monday, 27 Nov 2017. All flights in and out of Bali have been cancelled, with airlines sending notices to customers regarding re-booking of their flights. Various carriers like AirAsia and Indonesia’s flag carrier, Garuda, have also cancelled their flights to and from Lombok.
Image credit: Martin Garrido
According to data issued by PT Angkasa Pura, 57 international flights and 39 domestic flights were cancelled from Saturday until Sunday at 11.59pm (local time). Routes to Bali from several cities in Australia, the Netherlands and Malaysia have also been cancelled and re-routed on Saturday night and early Sunday morning, as reported by Channel NewsAsia.
The recent events have caused chaos in Bali’s airport as crowds of tourists are stranded.
The current status of Mount Agung has been raised from Alert (Level 3) to Awas (Level 4) and authorities have urged people within 10km of the volcano to evacuate.
Travellers headed to Bali are encouraged to check with their respective airline carriers before flying, in any case of changes or cancellations. They are also advised to check if their travel insurance provider provides coverage should they be affected by the eruption.
