Deadly volcano still erupting near Indonesian holiday island: IndiGo, Air India cancel Bali flights

Courtesy: X

Several international flights, including India's IndiGo and Air India air services, to and from Bali were cancelled after dangerous ash clouds from Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki near the Indonesian island made it unsafe to fly.

The volcano spewed a 9km ash column into the sky over the weekend, one week after a major eruption killed 10 people.

A jazz festival in Labuan Bajo town, some 600km from Mount Lewotaobi Laki-laki, was also postponed due to safety concerns.

Massive erupt at the Lewotobi volcano in Flores island, Indonesia ???? (07.11.2024) pic.twitter.com/4EBmGZ1mwj
Disaster News (@Top_Disaster) November 7, 2024

The volcano has erupted several times since the initial eruption, with the most recent eruption occurring around 6 pm on Tuesday night, Indonesian time, the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation said.

Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology has also warned that the volcanic ash might drift to parts of the country's north on Wednesday. The Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki volcano located in a remote island in East Nusa Tenggara province erupted earlier this month 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. The airline operates a daily flight from Bengaluru to Bali.

An official said Air India has cancelled its Bali flight. It operates a flight every day from Delhi to the Indonesian island. The service was being operated by Vistara, which has now been merged with Air India.