Several Australian airlines have cancelled all flights to and from the popular tourist island of Bali due to ash clouds. Several other companies, including Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia, have also cancelled departures.
"Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to flight safety near ash clouds," Air Asia states in a statement.
The eruption of ash from the Lewotobi volcano on the island of Flores, about 50 miles east of Bali, has reached nine kilometers into the air since the first eruption last week. The winds have now carried the ash westward and are expected to fall over Bali and northern Australia on Wednesday, according to Australian authorities.
At least nine people have died and over 30 injured on southeastern Flores. The volcano's eruption has forced more than 11,000 people to flee.
