Bali Flights Grounded as Mount Lewotobi Erupts on Flores Island

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in Indonesia erupted late Thursday, sending ash 8 kilometers into the atmosphere and triggering flight disruptions at Bali International Airport. The eruption lasted over 11 minutes, and the authorities raised the volcanic eruption alert status to the maximum. 

By Friday morning, the airport spokesperson Andadina Dyah said at least seven international flight cancellations took place from Ngurah Rai International Airport, including six Jetstar flights to Australia and one AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpur, with many others delayed from Thailand, Singapore, and Australia. The local airport in Maumere on Flores Island remains operative and is the closest to the volcano. 

No reports of damage to nearby villages came from Thursday’s eruption, but authorities have established a no-go zone extending 7 to 8 kilometers around the volcano while warning of a threat of pyroclastic flows due to heavy rainfall. Indonesia regularly undergoes seismic and volcanic activity, being located right on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”