Bali Tourists Stranded After Volcanic Eruption Grounds Flights

Multiple international airlines suspended flights to and from Bali, Indonesia, on Wednesday, due to a volcanic eruption, leaving travelers stranded at airports.

Tourists reported being stuck at Bali’s airport since Tuesday after their flights were abruptly canceled.

“The airline didn’t offer accommodations, leaving us stranded at this airport,” said Charlie Austin from Perth, Australia, who was on vacation in Bali with his family.

Another Australian traveler, Issabella Butler, opted to find a different airline to fly her home.

“The main priority is that we have to be able to get out of here,” she stated.

Media reports indicated that thousands of individuals were stranded at airports in Indonesia and Australia, although an exact number wasn’t provided.

Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano, situated on the remote island of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara province, has been spewing towering columns of hot ash into the atmosphere since its initial eruption on Nov. 4, which tragically killed nine people and injured dozens more.

The 5,197-foot volcano erupted with ash at least 17 times on Tuesday, with the largest column reaching five and a half miles high, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation.

Authorities expanded the danger zone on Tuesday to five and a half miles as the volcano erupted again, ejecting volcanic materials, including smoldering rocks, lava, and hot, thumb-size fragments of gravel and ash, up to five miles from the crater since Friday.

The volcanic activity has disrupted flights at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai international airport since the eruption began, airport general manager Ahmad Syaugi Shahab confirmed. Over the past four days, 84 flights, including 36 scheduled departures and 48 arrivals, have been affected.

Shahab noted that at least 26 domestic flights and 64 overseas ones were canceled on Wednesday alone, involving airlines from Singapore, Hong Kong, Qatar, India, and Malaysia. For these cancellations, the airlines offered travelers a refund, rescheduling, or rerouting options.

Three Australian airlines also canceled or delayed a number of flights. Jetstar has suspended its flights to Bali until at least Thursday, as stated on their website, citing “currently not safe” conditions for operating the route.

Virgin Australia’s website showed 10 services to and from Bali canceled on Wednesday. Qantas announced delays for three flights. They are offering refunds for upcoming Bali flights to passengers who don’t wish to travel.

Air New Zealand canceled a flight to Denpasar scheduled for Wednesday and a return service to Auckland set to depart Bali on Thursday. Passengers will be rebooked, and the airline will continue to monitor the ash movement in the coming days, stated Chief Operating Officer Alex Marren.

Korean Air confirmed that two of their flights heading to Bali were forced to turn back due to volcanic ash caused by the eruption.

The airline reported Wednesday that the two flights—carrying approximately 400 passengers combined—that departed South Korea’s Incheon international airport on Tuesday turned back toward their origin departure a few hours later, following forecasts indicating that Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport could be affected by the volcanic ash. The two planes arrived in Incheon early Wednesday.

Around 6,500 individuals were evacuated in January after Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki began erupting, spewing thick clouds and forcing the government to close the island’s Fransiskus Xaverius Seda Airport. No casualties or major damage were reported, but the airport remains closed due to seismic activity.

Three other airports in neighboring districts of Ende, Larantuka, and Bajawa have been closed since Monday after Indonesia’s Air Navigation issued a safety warning concerning volcanic ash.

Lewotobi Laki Laki is one of a pair of stratovolcanoes in the East Flores district of East Nusa Tenggara province, known locally as the husband-and-wife mountains. “Laki laki” translates to “man,” while its counterpart is Lewotobi Perempuan, or “woman.” It’s one of the 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia, an archipelago of 280 million people.

The country is susceptible to earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic activity due to its location along the “Ring of Fire,” a horseshoe-shaped series of seismic fault lines surrounding the Pacific Ocean.