Seven international flights from Indonesia’s resort island Bali have been cancelled due to a volcanic eruption in the eastern region of the country, which released dark ash up to eight kilometers into the sky.
According to Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation, shallow volcanic earthquakes started occurring on March 20, 2025, originating from Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a volcano located in the southeastern part of Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province.
STATUS AWASGunung Api Lewotobi Laki-laki kembali alami erupsi besar tadi malam pada 20 Maret 2025, pukul 22:56 WITA dengan tinggi kolom letusan teramati ± 8000 m di atas puncak (Magma Indonesia) pic.twitter.com/pOaPhNNDBE
— Georitmus 🇮🇩 (@zakiberkata) March 20, 2025
On March 20, 2025, the volcano erupted three times, producing an ash plume that reached 8,000 meters (26,200 feet) in height. The following day Indonesian authorities announced that the activity level of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki had been increased from Level III to more dangerous Level IV.
“Residents around Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, as well as visitors/tourists, should not engage in any activities within a radius of 7 kilometers and 8 kilometers in the southwest and northeast sectors from the eruption center of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki,” Indonesian officials said.
Andadina Dyah, a spokesperson for Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS), confirmed in a statement seen by local media that, as of March 21, 2025, 09:45 local time, seven international flights were cancelled.
This includes six Jetstar flights heading to Australia and one AirAsia flight to Kuala Lumpur. The spokesperson also said several other flights, both domestic and international, including those to Thailand, Singapore and Australia, have been delayed.
Jetstar confirmed that flights between Australia and Bali scheduled for the morning of March 21, 2025, had been canceled due to the volcanic ash. In a later update on the same day, the airline stated that it will resume normal operations between Australia and Denpasar “as conditions have improved”.
The Ministry of Transport of Malaysia has stated that Frans Xavier Seda Airport (MOF) in Maumere, Flores, which is the nearest to the volcano, remains unaffected by the ash.
The last eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano occurred in November 2024, killing at least 10 people. It led to several airlines across Asia to cancel flights to and from Bali, leaving many travelers stranded at airports in Australia and Indonesia.
