Services Readied For Air Passengers Affected By Mt Agung`s Eruption

A number of airlines are parked at Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali, closed the aircraft engine to anticipate volcanic ash Gunung Agung. (Antara Bali/Humas AP/Dwa/wdy/2017)

Denpasar (Antara Bali) - The Bali airport authorities have arranged services, including alternative means of transportation, for passengers whose flights were cancelled owing to the closure of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport following the eruption of Mount Agung.

The authorities are serving passengers seeking a refund of their ticket money, rescheduling of their flights, or changing their flight route via nearby airports, Yanus Suprayogi, the general manager of state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I, said here, Monday.

Some four thousand meal boxes have been provided for international passengers and two thousand others for domestic passengers who have been stranded.

At least 300 buses have been deployed to transport passengers keen on going to nearby airports via the Gilimanuk seaport, according to Agung Hartono, head of the Bali and West Nusa Tenggara transportation management center, following a coordination meeting held at Bali airport`s Emergency Operation Center on Sunday.

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)