Indonesia’s Mount Raung spews ash into one of the world’s most crowded flight paths
Indonesia’s Mount Raung spews ash into one of the world’s most crowded flight paths
Drifting ash from a volcanic eruption in Indonesia shut down airports on the country’s resort islands of Bali and Lombok, causing chaos for travelers.
Drifting ash from a volcanic eruption shut down airports on two of Indonesia’s most famous resort islands for a second day Friday, stranding passengers and disrupting local businesses at the peak of the summer holiday season.
Authorities closed airports in Bali and the neighboring island of Lombok on Thursday night as Mount Raung in East Java continued to spew ash into one of the world’s most crowded flight paths. International carriers such as Singapore Airlines, Qantas, Malaysia Airlines and Etihad Airways were among the airlines affected by the airport closures.
Mount Raung, which is about 150 kilometers west of Bali, erupted on July 5, prompting authorities to require pilots nearby to fly above 24,800 feet for safety reasons.
Indonesian authorities expect the airports to reopen after wind patterns shift direction. “We will see if we can reopen the airports after the sunset,” Transportation Ministry spokesman Adravida Barata said.
Bali airport normally handles about 48,000 passengers daily, while Lombok airport serves about 3,600. The two islands’ economies are heavily dependent on tourism, which is a sector Indonesia’s government is relying on to bring foreign exchange into the country amid a slump in its commodity-heavy exports.
Indonesia is home to dozens of active volcanoes that sit along the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire. Volcanic eruptions sometimes disrupt flights in the country, but have never been linked to aviation accidents.
July 10, 2015
www.wsj.com/articles/volcanic-ash
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