Two Indonesian Airports Closed Over Volcanic Eruption

Director General for Air Transport Suprasetyo said that Bali's main Ngurah Rai International Airport and Selaparang Airport located in the Lombok island are closed until Thursday due to the eruption of the Indonesian Mount Rinjani volcano.

BALI (Sputnik) — Bali's main Ngurah Rai International Airport and Selaparang Airport located in the Lombok island are closed until Thursday due to the eruption of the Indonesian Mount Rinjani volcano, Director General for Air Transport Suprasetyo said Wednesday.

"They will be closed until Thursday morning, November 5," Suprasetyo was quoted by the Detik news outlet as saying.

According to the official, such measure have been taken to ensure safety.

On Tuesday, the Australian airlines Virgin Australia and Jetstar cancelled all yesterday's flights to and from Indonesian island of Bali amid ash emissions.

Already seven villages in the northern part of Lombok have become covered with thick layer of ash, the Jakarta Post newspaper revealed, citing Azhar, chief of the West NUSA Tenggara Disaster Mitigation Agency.

Indonesia is a part of the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a string of volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean emerged amid subduction of oceanic plates. This area is known for a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.