Indian VP`s Flight Canceled Due To Mountain Eruption

Kuta (Antara Bali) - The flight of visiting Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari has been canceled due to eruption of Barujari mountain in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, that forced a halt to all flight operations at Bali`s Ngurah Rai airport.

"He would have (in normal course) taken off this afternoon," head of the airport authority, Yusfandri Gona, said here on Wednesday.

Due to the impact of the eruption of Mount Barujari, the Air India plane that should have flown the Indian Vice President back to his home country had to remain at the apron of the airport.

Yusfandri said his side had accorded priority to protecting planes from volcanic ash from Mount Barujari, including medical planes and planes carrying officials as well as commercial planes.

"We have implemented a policy to prioritize the safety of medical planes and VVIP planes," he said.

Vice President Hamid Ansari was in Bali as part of his state visit to Indonesia to dedicate a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Udayana University.

He also visited the Pasifika Museum in Nusa Dua, attended a dinner hosted by the Bali governor and also enjoyed the Tanah Lot tourist object in Tabanan.

The port operator stopped flight operations from 19:30 to 23:00 on Tuesday but later extended the stoppage till around 08:45 on Thursday.

Due to the decision, 692 flights including domestic and international flights had to be cancelled, affecting thousands of passengers, including Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari. (WDY)