Mt Agung`s Eruption Leads To 445 Flight Cancellations

Denpasar (Antara Bali) - State-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I has confirmed that a total of 445 flights were canceled following the 24-hour closure of the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport due to Mount Agung`s eruption.

Some 59 thousand passengers were affected by the flight cancellations, Arie Ahsanurrohim, spokesman of PT Angkara Pura I office at the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, said here, Monday.

The canceled flights comprise 97 international arrivals, 99 international departures, 124 domestic arrivals, and 125 domestic departures.

The airport operator has prepared alternative airports to serve flights to Bali.

The alternative airports include the Juanda Airport in Surabaya, East Java; Lombok Praya Airport in West Nusa Tenggara; Sultan Hasanussin Airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi; Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan; Adi Soemarmo Airport in Solo, Central Java; Ahmad Yani Airport in Semarang, Central Java; and Adi Sutjipto in Yogyakarta, Central Java.

The authorities have provided buses for transporting the stranded passengers to the Gilimanuk and Padang Bai seaports, among other locations, if they are keen on traveling to alternative airports by land.

PT Angkasa Pura I has arranged ticket refund services, flight rescheduling services, a foreign consulate general counter, as well as Balinese traditional music and dance performances to entertain the stranded passengers.

Meanwhile, the Bali airport authorities have shut down the I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport for 24 hours following the eruptions of Mount Agung.

"The airport is closed since 7 a.m. Central Indonesian Standard Time (WITA)," Arie Ahsanurrohim, spokesman of state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I`s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, said, Monday.

Volcanic ash dispersed into the air over the airport after the second eruption, forced the closure of the airport for 24 hours from 7 a.m. local time on Monday.

The Indonesian Transportation Ministry has issued a notice to airman no. A-4242/17 on the closure.

Based on data issued by PT Angkara Pusa I, a total of 57 international flights and 39 domestic flights were canceled from Saturday until Sunday at 11:59 p.m. local time.

Located in Karangasem, Bali Island, the 3,142-meter-high Mount Agung has been rumbling since August.

Records since 1800 reveal that Mount Agung had experienced four mega eruptions, respectively in 1908, 1823, 1843, and 1963. (WDY)