Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara erupted again on Tuesday night, 12th of November, resulting in three Australian airlines cancelling flights to and from Bali on Tuesday and Wednesday, 13th of November.
Three Australian airlines—Jetstar, Qantas, and Virgin Australia—decided to cancel their respective flights, leaving travellers stranded at the airport.
Virgin Australia confirmed on Wednesday morning that it had cancelled all flights in and out of Denpasar, Bali for the rest of the day due to the ongoing situation concerning Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki and its recent eruption.
“We regret the inconvenience this has caused our passengers, and our team is working hard to ensure all passengers booked on our services get to their destination safely and as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for the airline told the press recently.
Meanwhile, Jetstar also stated to the press, indicating that its affected flights would be cancelled until at least 2 PM AEDT on Wednesday.
“Impacted customers have been notified directly and provided a range of options, including rebooking their travel at no charge or cancelling their bookings and obtaining a voucher to the value of their untravelled flights,” the airline said in a statement.
At least four flights to Denpasar were cancelled from Melbourne Airport, Australia, starting Tuesday afternoon. In addition, five flights from Sydney were cancelled over the same period, while several overnight flights faced delays. One flight from Sydney even travelled for two hours before being forced to turn back.
Some passengers expressed uncertainty about their next steps amid the chaos at the airport.
“It’s quite complicated. We tried to find a hotel room, but they wouldn’t accept us. Many people are very upset about it,” one anonymous passenger told the press.
As previously reported, data from the National Disaster Management Agency indicated that the major eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on the 3rd of November killed 10 people. Additionally, the eruption forced more than 15,000 people near the crater to evacuate.