Bali Airport Resumes Operations

Kuta, Bali (Antara Bali)- The I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport was reopened, and all flights, which were delayed earlier, departed on Thursday morning, Trikora Harjo, the general manager of airport operator PT Angkasa Pura, stated.

"Every delayed flight has departed," Harjo noted.

By around 3 a.m. local time, on Thursday, all flights have departed, he remarked.

The airport was closed for 2.5 hours on Wednesday and resumed its operations at 3:30 p.m. local time on the same day.

The Bali airport was closed on Wednesday, on the advice of the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency and the Darwin-based Volcanic Ash Advisory Council. They reported that ash spewed by Mount Raung was blowing towards Bali.

Hundreds of flights were delayed, and thousands of passengers were stranded.

Since July 9, the eruption of Mount Raung, which is located on the borders of Banyuwangi, Bondowoso, and Jember districts in East Java province, has forced Bali`s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport to shut down temporarily on several occasions, with ash clouds drifting towards one of the world`s most famous tourist islands.

On July 9, the Bali airport delayed 277 domestic and international flights, affecting 25 thousand passengers.

Besides the Ngurah Rai Airport, four other Indonesian airports: Lombok International Airport and Selaparang Airport in West Nusa Tenggara province and Blimbingsari Airport in Banyuwangi and Notohadinegoro Airport in Jember, both in East Java province, were also temporarily closed recently due to the eruption of the volcano. (WDY)