IndiGo, Air India cancel flights to and from Bali after volcanic eruption: ‘Ash clouds may impact air travel’

IndiGo and Air India on Wednesday informed that flights to and from Bali have been cancelled due to ash clouds from a volcanic eruption in the Indonesian island.

The volcano eruption has left travellers stranded as many airlines have cancelled their services to Bali.

Earlier this month, Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano located in a remote island in East Nusa Tenggara province erupted and has resulted in ash clouds.

"#6ETravelAdvisory: Due to a recent volcanic eruption in #Bali, flights to/from the region have been cancelled, as ash clouds may impact air travel," IndiGo said in a post on X.

Air India has also cancelled its Bali flight.

“Air India flights from Delhi to Bali and return (AI 2145 and AI 2146 respectively), scheduled to operate on 13 November 2024 have been cancelled due to unfavourable weather caused by the recent volcanic eruption,” said Air India in a post on X.

It further added that all possible efforts are being made to minimize inconvenience caused to our customers, due to this unforeseen situation, including complimentary rescheduling, accommodation in next available flight(s) or full refunds to those who opt for it.

“Safety of our passengers and crew remains the top priority for Air India.”

Meanwhile, at least 16 international routes were affected after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores island spewed a nine-kilometre (5.6-mile) tower a day earlier, reported AP quoting a statement of the general manager of Bali's international airport.

Flights cancelled

26 domestic and 64 international flights had been affected by recent eruptions as of Wednesday afternoon.

"Due to this natural event impacting flight operations, airlines are offering affected passengers the options of refunds, rescheduling, or re-routing," said Bali airport's Ahmad Syaugi Shahab in a statement.

'Nobody to help us'

Arsh Khurana (39), an IT consultant from Delhi, told AFP that nobody helping them or providing accommodation and food.

Khurana, whose Air India flight was rescheduled to Saturday, said they are kind of stranded.

“There is nothing from Air India, there is absolutely no support,” adding that he and his wife were set to lose money as the airline's travel insurance did not cover disruptions caused by volcanic eruptions.

Risks

Eruptions can pose serious risks to flights, disgorging fine ash that can damage jet engines and scour a plane's windscreen to the point of invisibility.

Deaths and evacuations

At least 9 people have been killed and 11,000 have been evacuated in recent weeks after multiple eruptions from the 1,703-metre twin-peaked volcano, said Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency.