Flights between Australia, Indonesia grounded by volcanic ash clouds

Sydney, Nov 13 (IANS) Flights between Australia and the Indonesian province of Bali have been grounded due to ash from an erupting volcano.

Australia's three biggest airlines, Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar, on Tuesday and Wednesday, cancelled or delayed flights to and from Bali after the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province blanketed the region in ash, Xinhua news agency reported.

Jetstar, a subsidiary of Qantas, cancelled all of its flights from Australia to Bali's Denpasar airport from Tuesday evening until at least 2 p.m. Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) on Wednesday.

"Due to volcanic ash caused by Mount Lewotobi in Indonesia, it is currently not safe to operate to and from Bali," it said in a statement.

"We continue to monitor the situation closely and will provide an update on flights scheduled to operate after 1400 AEDT as soon as possible."

If the situation improved, it said it would operate at least two additional return services between Australia and Bali, including a special flight using a Boeing 787, to clear the backlog of affected passengers.

Bali is one of the most popular international holiday destinations for Australians.

Qantas flights early on Tuesday operated as scheduled but one departure planned from Sydney at 4:30 p.m. local time was delayed until 3:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

A Qantas flight from Melbourne to Denpasar is also scheduled for 5:55 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

Four Virgin Australia flights were cancelled on Tuesday, two into Denpasar and two out of the airport.

"The safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority," a spokesperson for the airline said on Wednesday.

Travellers have been advised to monitor the status of flights on their airline's website.