Volcano eruption affects air traffic in Indonesia

ISTANBUL

Indonesia witnessed flight cancellations on Friday due to heightened activity from a volcano in the East Nusa Tenggara region.

Mt. Lewotobi Laki-Laki, located on the tourist island of Flores, had its alert level raised to the highest level (four) on Thursday following a “significant surge” in volcanic activity for several days, according to the Geological Agency under the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

The eruption column reached a height of 1,000-2,500 meters (3,280-8,202 feet), the Kompas media outlet reported.

Seven international flights were canceled on Friday at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali due to the eruption. The affected routes included two flights to Melbourne, as well as flights to Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth, all operated by Jetstar Airlines, along with one AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpur.

So far, no domestic flights have been canceled, but volcanic ash from Mt. Lewotobi Laki-Laki has led to delays on AirAsia flights to Labuan Bajo. Moreover, five international flights experienced delays, affecting routes to Singapore (Singapore Airlines), Bangkok (Thai AirAsia), Kuala Lumpur (AirAsia), as well as Brisbane and Melbourne (Virgin Airways).

Jetstar Airlines, in a statement, said that it “will resume normal operations between Australia and Denpasar this afternoon as conditions have improved following an earlier eruption of Mount Lewotobi in Indonesia.”

The citizens are advised to not approach within a radius of 7 to 8 kilometers (4 to 5 miles) in the southwest and northeast sectors of the eruption center.

Indonesia, which lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, has 130 active volcanoes, making it one of the world's most seismically active countries.