Volcanic eruption forces SIA, Scoot and regional airlines to cancel Bali flights

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, an Indonesian volcano, spews 10km-high ash tower

- Fatimah Mujibah

SINGAPORE/JAKARTA - At least two dozen flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali, including Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Scoot flights from Changi Airport, were cancelled on June 18 after a volcano in the archipelago's east erupted, shooting an ash tower 10km into the sky.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,584m twin-peaked volcano on the eastern tourist island of Flores, erupted on June 17, with the authorities raising its alert status to the highest level.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, SIA said four of its flights - two heading to Singapore and two arriving in Denpasar - were affected on June 18, leading to their cancellation.

The airline said it will be contacting all affected customers to inform them about the flight cancellations.

It said: "As the situation remains fluid, other SIA flights between Singapore and Indonesia may be affected. Customers may visit our flight status page for the latest information on their flights."

SIA said it apologises to all affected customers for the inconvenience caused.

Budget airline Scoot told ST that five of its flights were cancelled on the morning of June 18.

Three of them were scheduled to depart from Singapore, while two were set to arrive at Changi Airport from Denpasar and neighbouring island Lombok.