Bali airport reopens as volcanic ash disperses
Print Edition
The airport on the Indonesian resort island of Bali reopened yesterday after an erupting volcano forced its closure for the second time in four days and caused fresh travel misery for stranded holidaymakers.
Mount Raung on Indonesia’s main island of Java has been erupting for weeks, and on Thursday a cloud of drifting ash forced the closure of Bali airport, and four others, during the peak holiday season.
The airport reopened on Saturday as the ash drifted away, allowing some flights to leave and others to land.
However, the cloud returned yesterday morning, forcing authorities to shut the airport again. But the new closure lasted just a few hours and the airport was reopened in the afternoon as the ash shifted.
“Full, normal operations have resumed, however planes are to fly in and out from a westerly direction to avoid the ash,” said transport ministry spokesman JA Barata.
Tourists stranded
Thousands of tourists who were visiting the tropical island famed for its palm-fringed beaches found themselves waiting for days at Bali’s Ngurah Rai airport, near the island’s capital Denpasar, anxiously watching departure boards, sitting and sleeping on the floor.
The second closure added to the sense of chaos as many holidaymakers had headed to the airport to catch flights that had been delayed by the first shutdown.
The disruption came at a bad time, with many Australians stuck in Bali after heading there for the school break and millions of Indonesian tourists setting off on holiday ahead of the Muslim celebration of Eid next week.
Another airport on Java serving domestic routes remained shut yesterday, Barata said.
The other three originally closed Thursday, including the international airport on popular Lombok island, east of Bali, had reopened earlier.
After Bali airport reopened yesterday, Indonesian flag carrier Garuda said flights diverted due to the ash cloud would head back, while budget airline AirAsia said it was resuming services from the island.
Australian carriers Jetstar and Virgin earlier said they were canceling all flights in and out of Bali yesterday.
About 300 flights to and from Bali were canceled after the first closure, but airport officials could not give a figure for the number affected by yesterday’s closure.
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