The Cebu Pacific Air has announced that it has cancelled its flight to and from Bali, Indonesia scheduled today (Nov. 28) following the eruption of Mt. Agung.
The warning came after Indonesian authorities raised alert levels to maximum, accelerated a mass evacuation and closed its main airport, in Bali’s capital Denpasar, leaving thousands of tourists stranded on the Indonesian resort island.
Some 445 flights were cancelled, affecting more than 59,000 passengers, officials said.
Authorities said massive columns of thick grey smoke that have been belching from Mount Agung since last week have now begun shooting more than three kilometers (two miles) into the sky, forcing hundreds of flights to be grounded.
“In light of the eruption Mt. Agung and the closure of the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Cebu Pacific is cancelling its flights to and from Bali, Indonesia tomorrow, Nov 28, 2017,” Cebu Pacific said in its airline stated in its advisory Monday.
The affected flights are 5J 279 (Manila – Denpasar) with 3:50 am scheduled departure and arrival at 7:50 am, and 5J 280 (Denpasar – Manila) with scheduled 8:35 am departure and arrival at 12:40 pm.
The Cebu Pacific management also advised air travellers with confirmed bookings on these flights to move to the next available flight. It added clients may also opt to rebook their flights within the next 30 days, or place the cost of the ticket in a Travel Fund for future use.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,” the airline stated.
Last Sunday, the Philippine Airlines also made cancellation of flights due to volcanic ash in Bali.
Authorities in Indonesia said reports showed that over the last two months, Mt. Agung has seen increased seismicity. This is the increased fracturing of rocks inside the volcano as magma, a volatile mixture of molten rocks, fluids and gases, moves from deep within the earth right up to the top.
Meanwhile, tourists who were already in Bali were told that it could be several days before they could leave.
The airport on nearby Lombok island — also a popular tourist destination east of Bali — closed on Sunday as ash from Mount Agung headed in that direction, but reopened early Monday.
The Australian government put out a travel advisory on Sunday, warning that volcanic activity “may escalate with little or no notice”.
“Past eruptions of Mount Agung have shown this volcano’s potential to cause significant impacts,” it added.
Dozens of Balinese Hindus took part in ceremonies near the volcano on Sunday, offering prayers in the hope of preventing an eruption.
Officials have said the activity could be a magmatic eruption — one which involves the decompression of gas and results in the spewing of ash — and advised people near the mountain to wear masks.
Indonesia is the world’s most active volcanic region. The archipelago nation with over 17,000 islands lies on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic and seismic activities.
Last year, seven were killed after Mt. Sinabung on the western island of Sumatra erupted, while 16 were left dead by a Sinabung eruption in 2014.
With AFP
