JAKARTA – Several Australian airlines, including Qantas, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia, cancelled multiple flights to and from Bali on July 7 following a volcanic eruption on the Indonesian island of Flores.
Low-cost carrier Jetstar confirmed the cancellations were due to volcanic ash emitted by the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,584m-high volcano located in East Nusa Tenggara province. The eruption occurred at 11:05am, releasing an ash cloud that reportedly rose as high as 18km into the atmosphere.
Thick grey and black volcanic clouds drifted northwards, northeastwards, and northwestwards from the crater, disrupting regional air travel. Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, general manager of Bali’s international airport, said 24 flights were cancelled on Sunday, including services to Labuan Bajo, Australia, Singapore, and South Korea.
Affected carriers included Virgin Australia, Jetstar Airways, and AirAsia Indonesia, he said in a statement. Despite the disruptions, Shahab noted that Bali’s airspace remained unaffected by the ash spread.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki previously erupted multiple times in November 2024, killing nine people and displacing thousands. That eruption also caused significant flight cancellations to Bali. A similar disruption occurred in June 2025, when dozens of flights were grounded and a village evacuated due to ashfall from renewed volcanic activity.