Indonesian authorities shut Bali’s international airport for a second time in seven months as a fresh eruption Thursday at Mount Agung in the popular tourist island sent volcanic ashes several miles high into the sky.
Domestic airports at Banyuwangi and Jember in East Java were also closed, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said on Twitter. The shutdown of Bali airport will lead to cancellation of 446 flights, including 207 international flights, affecting an estimated 74,928 passengers, he said.
Mount Agung volcano continued to belch ash and smoke after ash clouds rose as high as 16,454 feet (5,142m) above sea level, according to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. The airport at Bali, the biggest tourist destination in Indonesia, was shut down for more than a day in November, leading to losses of about $1 billion for the tourism industry.
The Bali airport was shut from 3 a.m. local time, PT Angkasa Pura I, the state-run airport operator said in a statement. Authorities will review the closing at 12 noon after taking into account the latest volcanic ash distribution data, state air-navigation operator AirNav said in a statement.
Qantas Airways Ltd., Singapore Airlines Ltd., AirAsia Bhd. and PT Garuda Indonesia are among the airlines operating flights to Bali, which draws an estimated 5 million tourists annually.
Garuda and its unit PT Citilink Indonesia canceled all flights to and from Bali, the companies said in separate statements. AirAsia Indonesia canceled at least 50 flights to and from Bali, the airline said in statement.
