Indonesian Volcano Erupts 50 Times in 2 Hours, Disrupts Bali Flights with 10 km Ash Plume

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano erupted on June 17 in the east of Indonesia’s Flores island, forcing authorities to raise the volcano’s disaster alert to the highest level of four. This eruption sent an ash column of over 10 kilometers into the sky, the country’s disaster management agency told Bloomberg.

The seismic monitoring devices are still detecting tremors indicating ongoing volcanic activity.

Volcanic Eruption Disrupts Flights

The tourist hotspot Bali felt the impact as a consequence as several international flights to Bali were cancelled or delayed and the airport in Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara province was closed because of the eruption, officials told Reuters on June 18.

According to Bloomberg, the airport at Denpasar, the main gateway to the destination remained open and some carriers including PT Garuda Indonesia were still checking passengers in.

The Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation said that gray volcanic ash of a medium intensity was observed moving toward the north. Flight information data from the airport showed several arrival and departure services were still scheduled in the afternoon and evening.

The flights cancelled included Jetstar and Virgin Australia services to cities across Australia, with Air India, Air New Zealand, Singapore's Tigerair and China's Juneyao Airlines also cancelling flights “due to volcano", reported AFP.

Several domestic AirAsia flights leaving for popular tourist hotspot Labuan Bajo on Flores were also cancelled.

An airport customer service agent told AFP the aviation hub was still operating normally despite the cancelled flights.

The volcanic activity forced Air India flight AI2145 from Delhi to Bali to return to Delhi due to reports of a volcanic eruption near the destination airport in Bali, reported HT.

“Air India flight AI2145 on 18 June 2025 from Delhi to Bali was advised to return to Delhi due to reports of volcanic eruption near destination airport Bali, in the interest of safety,” an Air India official told HT.

The flight landed safely at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport and all passengers were taken off the plane.