TPG Stranded as Bali Airport Closes Due to Volcanic Ash
Since Bali's aging volcano Mt. Agung began erupting five days ago, authorities have advised residents and those visiting to remain calm. However, on Monday morning local time, Denpasar's Ngurah Rai International Airport (DPS) was forced to close due to the volcano's ash — and TPG himself is stuck on the island. You can follow along with him on both Instagram and Facebook as he navigates the situation. He also did a Facebook Live from the airport to show how the closure is affecting both him and the folks at Denpasar:
TPG also posted a number of photos from Denpasar showing the activity there during the closure:
According to The Telegraph, the alert for Mt. Agung has been raised to its highest level, just days after it first erupted. As a result, those within 10 kilometers of the volcano have been ordered to evacuate. At this point, Denpasar is closed for incoming and departing flights. Based on the airport's latest report, more than 7,000 passengers are stranded.
The head of Bali's geological agency, Kasbani, said the island doesn't expect a big eruption; however, the government is forced to remain alert and anticipate anything. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency reports that the airport will consider reopening operations on Tuesday after evaluating the situation. The airport said that it would "make it easier" for passengers to get refunds for their travel or to make alternative arrangements.
Of course, each airline has its own rules on rebooking travel:
- Jetstar cancelled flights for Monday and offered a credit voucher for passengers who do not wish to reschedule their travel to or from Bali.
- Cathay Pacific has issued a weather waiver to waive rebooking and rerouting charges for all tickets on or before November 26, 2017, for travel to or from DPS between November 27 and December 4, 2017.
- Singapore Airlines has issued an announcement informing passengers of cancelled flights. Customers with travel booked between November 27 and December 4, 2017, to or from DPS, can contact their nearest Singapore Airlines ticket office for rebooking. The new travel date must commence on or before January 31, 2018.
- AirAsia cancelled its flights on Sunday afternoon into DPS and Lombok (LOP). Affected customers will be allowed to either change to a new travel time on the same route within 30 calendar days of the original flight time without additional charge, or retain the value of their fare in an AirAsia credit for future travel. The airline did not provide an update on its Monday flight schedule.
- Qantas said flights were continuing as of Sunday afternoon but were subject to immediate change without much warning. It has not yet updated its info for Monday.
We have yet to hear anything from Qatar Airways as of this writing, but will update this post when we receive new information from Qatar and from any of the affected carriers.
If you have travel booked to Bali in the coming days, weeks or months, it could be a good idea to rethink those plans. At this time, it's not known how the Mt. Agung situation will continue to evolve, but follow TPG on both Instagram and Facebook as he navigates the eruption and airport closure.
