The eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Nusa Tenggara province has brought widespread disruptions that affect thousands of travelers in route to the island of Bali. The volcano sent an ash cloud soaring 9 km into the sky, leading to flight cancellations, widespread evacuations, and severe travel delays. On November 4, the Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano on Indonesia's Flores Island erupted, spewing massive columns of hot ash and tragically resulting in nine deaths. The 1,584-meter volcano erupted at least 17 times on Tuesday as well.
Volcanic Activity Causes Travel Chaos
The volcanic eruption began on November 3, killing nine people, while over 15,000 had to be evacuated from their homes. Volcanic ash led several international airlines, including Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia, to cancel flights. The eruption's impact worsened when ash plumes reached 10 km high, affecting flights not only to Bali but also to nearby Lombok. Between November 4 and November 12, around 80 flights were cancelled, disrupting travel plans for tourists from Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. AirAsia, Singapore Airlines and other local airlines servicing flights to Bali were forced to halt flights. Passengers were left waiting for hours and even days, unable to re-book or find accommodation. Some Visitors reported losses that surpass more than $2,000 from cancellation and non-refundable bookings.
Indian Airlines like IndiGo and Air India, which operate daily flights to Bali from Bengaluru and Delhi, also suspended their services yesterday due to the volcanic ash clouds over Bali. IndiGo issued a travel advisory on X, stating, “#6ETravel Advisory: Due to a recent volcanic eruption in #Bali, flights to/from the region have been cancelled, as ash clouds may impact air travel.” Air India similarly announced the cancellation of its Delhi-Bali-Delhi flights (AI 2145 and AI 2146) scheduled for Wednesday due to the ash-related hazards.
Airlines Resume Flights
Today both Qantas and Virgin Australia resumed their flights to and from Bali. Airlines assured its passengers, saying we would continue monitoring the volcanic conditions. Qantas would thereafter operate recovery flights as soon as it was possible. Virgin Australia also resumed services but notified its customers of possible future disruptions.
Inputs by Agencies
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