Denpasar airport has reopened on June 29 at 1430L (0630Z) after a day-long closure caused by volcanic ash after the eruption of Mount Agung, Bali's highest and most active volcano.
According to a statement posted on the airport's website, all departing and arriving flights should now return to the normal schedule, although carriers continue to struggle with the disruption. The reopening was earlier scheduled at 1900L but a change in wind direction allowed for a quicker resumption of activities, CNN has reported.
In total, some 300 flights to and from Bali were cancelled, including services operated by Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Citilink, Indonesia AirAsia, and Jetstar Airways. Denpasar airport is Indonesia's second-busiest facility, after Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta, and according to the ch-aviation capacity module, sees 1,676 weekly departures.
The authorities decided to close the airport at 0300L (1900Z) after meteorological services reported spotting traces of volcanic ash as high as 23,000 feet. Some airlines decided to cancel their flights even prior to the official announcement.
Mount Agung, an active volcano which increased its activity since autumn 2017, started erupting on June 28, although initially, the airport authorities predicted it would have no impact on the safety of operations. The eruption so far does not pose any threat to the inhabitants of the Indonesian island.
The volcano's last major eruption in November 2017 caused the closure of Denpasar airport for 24 hours and affected as much as 59,000 passengers. In 1963, one of Mount Agung's eruptions killed 1,600 people.
Denpasar is located on the opposite end of Bali in relation to Mount Agung, some 50 kilometres south-west from the volcano.
