Eight flights between Australia and Bali were canceled due to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
According to Detikbali, “Cancel flight (cancellation of flights) of seven planes (Australia-Bali),” said Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, after the Lebaran Air Transport Integrated Post ceremony at the airport on Friday, March 21, 2025.
The affected flights include seven Jetstar airlines flying from Australia to Bali and one AirAsia Berhad Malaysia flight from Bali to Australia.
Syaugi mentioned that the cancellations are temporary, and he predicts that by 3:00 PM WITA, all flights from Australia to Bali will return to normal.
However, this has yet to be confirmed. He added that the situation regarding the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki will continue to be monitored for flight safety, especially for international flights to Bali.
Syaugi also stated that airlines are offering passengers whose flights were canceled the option for a refund, rescheduling, or rerouting.
“We are continuously updating. It depends on the wind direction, whether it will go toward Bali or not,” Syaugi said. The situation at Ngurah Rai Airport remains normal.
Nevertheless, he urged all passengers to check their flight schedules with the respective airlines. Coordination between Ngurah Rai Airport and relevant authorities continues to monitor the ongoing eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki.
Previously, the Head of the Emergency and Logistics Division of the Flores Timur Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Avi Manggota Hallan, stated that Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki’s status was raised from level III to level IV (Alert) starting Thursday, March 20, 2025, at 10:30 PM WITA.
Komodo Labuan Bajo Airport in West Manggarai was also affected by the volcanic ash from the eruption. One of the flights, AirAsia from Denpasar to Labuan Bajo, was delayed on Friday at 8:00 AM WITA.
For international routes, five flights were delayed, including flights to Singapore served by Singapore Airlines, to Bangkok by Thai AirAsia, Kuala Lumpur by AirAsia, and Brisbane and Melbourne by Virgin Airways.
Reported from CNN Indonesia, “We will continue to update the situation and coordinate with the relevant authorities and hope the conditions will return to normal soon,” he said.
Earlier, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Flores erupted twice, first on Thursday night (March 20) at 10:56 PM WITA and again early Friday (March 21) at 12:10 AM WITA. The mountain’s status was raised from Alert (Level III) to Danger (Level IV).
During the eruption at 10:56 PM WITA, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki released volcanic ash reaching a height of 8 kilometers.
Sources : DetikBali, Liputan6.com, CNN Indonesia.
Feat Image : via AFP//Sonny Tumbelaka