Thousands Of Prospective Passengers Prefer Staying In Bali Airport

Kuta, Bali (Antara Bali) - Thousands of prospective passengers decided to wait in Bali`s Ngurah Rai International Airport following the closure of the airport at 9.30 a.m local time on Sunday due to the rising eruption of Mount Raung.

Antara learned here on Sunday that thousands of passengers in the Domestic and International Departures Terminals just waited for further announcement after the airport was closed again on Sunday morning.

The prospective passengers who stayed in the domestic and international departures terminals have reported their plan of flights to several airlines.

They failed to fly because the airlines chose to cancel the flight schedules due to an emergency force majeure case caused by natural events so that the authorities and operators of airlines temporarily closed the Ngurah Rai Airport.

"I had better wait as advised by airline, hopefully (the airport) will be able to operate again at four in the afternoon," said Johan who will leave for Surabaya in East Java.

In addition a tourist from Slovenia, Peter Curk, chose to take a walk in the airport after the closure of airport operations.

Earlier, Garuda Indonesia Airlines on Sunday cancelled all flights to Bali`s Nurah Rai International Airport following its closure again at 9.30 a.m local time on Sunday.

The flights cancellation was aimed to avoid aviation hazards and to ensure passenger safety due to the volcanic ash being spewed by Mount Raung in East Java Province.

On Friday (July 10) Garuda cancelled 112 flights to avoid aviation hazards and to ensure passenger safety due to volcanic ash being spewed by the Mount Raung.

Mount Raung erupted on July 5, spewing plumes of smoke, incandescent cinder, and lava. One of the active volcanoes on Java Island, it is 3,332 meters above sea level.

"Mount Raung`s eruption is a strombolian-type one," Head of the Data and Information Center of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency Nugroho said in a broadcast message on July 5.

A strombolian eruption is a relatively low-level volcanic eruption that includes ejection of incandescent cinder and thin lava, with medium pressured gases. The eruption is not too strong but is continuous and long-lasting, Nugroho explained. (WDY)