
Several airlines have canceled flights between Australia and Bali after a nearby volcanic eruption sent ash soaring up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) into the atmosphere.
Jetstar and Virgin Australia announced on Wednesday that they had canceled all flights in and out of Denpasar, Bali’s main city, following the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki.
“Due to volcanic ash from Mount Lewotobi’s eruption, it is currently unsafe to operate flights to and from Bali,” Jetstar confirmed in a statement.
Qantas reported that a number of its flights had also been “disrupted.” Affected customers were to be “notified directly and provided with their options.” Meanwhile, flight-tracking site Flightradar24 showed that AirAsia had also canceled flights to Bali.
Australia is a major tourism source for Bali, accounting for roughly a quarter of the 625,665 international visitors who arrived in July.
Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki, located approximately 500 kilometers (311 miles) east of Bali on the island of Flores, has been erupting frequently since November 3. According to Indonesian authorities, the eruptions have claimed at least nine lives, injured 31 people, and forced the evacuation of over 11,000 residents.
On Friday, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation reported that the volcano produced its largest ash plume yet, reaching 10 kilometers (6 miles) into the sky.
Due to its position along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a zone marked by tectonic activity, Indonesia is particularly vulnerable to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.