Three Australian airlines have cancelled flights to and from Bali after a volcanic eruption near the Indonesian holiday spot created a dangerous ash cloud.
The groundings affected Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, leaving passengers stranded.
The emergency began on Sunday when Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano erupted, spewing an ash column 9km high.
The event in East Nusa Tenggara province, which is about 500km from Bali, killed nine people and prompted the evacuation of more than 15,000 people close to the crater.
A Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson said the Lewotobi Volcano had continued to erupt over the past fortnight.
Easterly winds have brought volcanic ash over Denpasar airport and the airspace to the south of the airport. It was due to hit Bali and parts of northern Australia across Wednesday, according to the BoM.
“Volcanic ash is expected to move over Bali and adjacent maritime environment to the south including parts of northern Australian airspace until dissipating late tonight,” the bureau said.
“Flights in and out of Denpasar, Bali have been disrupted today due to volcanic ash currently approaching Denpasar airport and airspace. Airlines and airport operators continue to conduct their own risk assessment of the situation.”
Two Qantas return flights had been delayed, one flight on Tuesday and one on Wednesday, scheduled to go from Australia to Denpasar.
Ten Virgin flights in and out of Indonesia on Wednesday were cancelled, with a spokesperson citing “adverse weather.”
“The safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority. Adverse weather due to the volcano in Indonesia has resulted in Virgin Australia cancelling all flights in and out of Denpasar today.
“We regret the inconvenience this has caused our passengers, and our team is working hard to ensure all passengers booked on our services get to their destination safely and as soon as possible.”
Jetstar said on Wednesday: “Due to volcanic ash caused by Mount Lewotobi in Indonesia, it is currently not safe to operate to and from Bali.”
On Tuesday, Qantas and Virgin Airlines cancelled up to 10 journeys in total, according to their websites.