Hundreds of Aussie holidaymakers’ travel plans have been thrown into chaos after Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano erupted.
The eruption on Monday sent ash and other volcanic material as high as 18 kilometres into the sky, causing at least seven Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar flights from Australia to be either delayed or cancelled.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, which has erupted for a second time in as many months, caused multiple delays at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport.
Photos showed dozens of travellers stranded at the airport, checking their phones and departure boards for the latest updates.
The chaos continued on Tuesday morning as more flights from Australia were impacted.
Virgin Australia has delayed two scheduled morning departures out of Brisbane and Melbourne to Denpasar until later on Tuesday.
‘Our team of expert meteorologists is closely monitoring conditions and ash cloud activity following the eruption of Mount Lewotobi yesterday,’ a Virgin Australia spokesperson said.
‘We encourage guests travelling to or from Bali today to closely monitor their flight status via the Virgin Australia website or app.’
Hundreds of travellers are stranded at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport following the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki
Stranded travellers at Ngurah Rai International Airport could do nothing but sit and wait
A Qantas spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia there are currently no cancellations to or from Bali on Tuesday but is monitoring the situation closely.
‘Safety is always our top priority, and we will contact customers directly if their flight is disrupted. We thank customers for their patience and understanding,’ they said.
Jetstar also expects flights between Australia and Bali to operate as normal today.
‘Volcanic ash from an eruption of Mount Lewotobi in Indonesia is continuing to move west and away from Bali,’ an update on Tuesday states.
‘If there are any disruptions to our operations today, we will contact customers directly by SMS and email.’
Jetstar passengers heading to or from Bali on Tuesday who no longer wish to travel have the option to move their flight up to 14 days later, or cancel their booking and receive a credit voucher.
The alert-level status for Lewotobi Laki-Laki remains at its most severe, the volcanology agency said.
Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano erupted on Monday for the second time in as many months (pictured)
A flight indicator board at Ngurah Rai International Airport on Monday showed multiple flights were cancelled due to the volcano
Locals and tourists are advised to stay outside a 6km radius around the volcano and keep their distance from expected lava, which continues to flow in the area.
There have been no reports of casualties, damages or evacuations caused by the latest eruption.
Nine people were killed when the volcano erupted last November.
About 1.2 million Australians visited Bali last year.
At least 24 flights were cancelled at Ngurah Rai International Airport on Monday. Pictured are stranded travellers waiting out the delays
