Bali shuts Denpasar airport due to volcano eruption

Indonesia has shut down Bali's Denpasar airport and three others due to the eruption of Mt Raung.

"....due to the eruption of Mt Raung, (DPS) Bali, (LOP) Lombok, (JBB) Jember and (BWX) Banyuwangi airports are now being closed,'' according to the home page of Bali airport.

The airport has advised travellers to contact their airlines to confirm their flight status.

BT understands that the Bali airport will remain closed till 2130 hours on Friday.

Jetstar and rival Virgin Australia have cancelled their flights to the Indonesian holiday resort of Bali as they continued to monitor the volcanic ash cloud over Denpasar airport. As for Indonesian carrier, Garuda, it has diverted its morning flights and will be cancelling the afternoon flights. Other airlines are monitoring the situation.

In a worst case scenario, volcanic ash can shut down a plane engine. In a best case scenario, volcanic ash can do damage to vital systems and the airframe when planes come into contact with ash clouds, said Xinhua.