Bali volcano: Jetstar and Qantas cancel flights as Mt Agung erupts again

Trend News To Day in Google - International airlines including Jetstar and Qantas have cancelled flights to and from Bali after the second eruption of Mt Agung in a week, even though Indonesia's disaster management authorities say it's safe to fly to the island.

The latest eruption is significantly stronger than last Tuesday's eruption, with a cloud of steam and pulverised rock driven at least 1,500 metres above the volcano's 3,000-metre peak.

There have been no new evacuations in Bali and a 6 kilometre exclusion zone around the volcano has not been extended.

PHOTO: Mount Agung has erupted for the second time this week. (Reuters: Johannes P Christo)

Ngurah Rai airport in Denpasar remained open on Saturday night but within two hours of the eruption, Jetstar cancelled or diverted four flights heading to Bali as well as five flights due to depart from the island.

Qantas, Virgin and Dutch airline KLM soon followed Jetstar's lead in cancelling flights.

The pulverised rock contained in volcanic ash can cause significant damage to aircraft engines but airlines have different criteria about how close to ash clouds their planes can operate.

Indonesia's Garuda and Air Asia were continuing to use Ngurah Rai airport.

PHOTO: Passengers wait for flight information at the Ngurah Rai airport. (Reuters: Antara Foto Agency)

A spokesman for Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency said the ash cloud was not affecting Denpasar's flight paths and stated that it was still safe to fly in and out of the airport.

About 30,000 evacuees from Mt Agung remain in temporary accommodation. Most of them left their homes in September, when authorities first warned that a major eruption was likely.

Disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in total, eight international flights to Bali and 13 international flights departing from Bali were cancelled.

He said about 2,000 people were stranded at the airport.

Source: abc.net.au