Bali volcano: mount agung eruption plan for stranded travellers

Indonesian officials have drawn up plans to divert flights to ten other airports across the country to stop new holidaymakers arriving should the volcano erupt. They have also made plans to

extend tourist visas for stranded travellers in the event of an eruption. Authorities are making plans after they were left fighting to clear a backlog after almost 900 flights were

cancelled or delayed at Bali's international airport in 2015 due to a volcanic eruption, causing travel chaos during the peak holiday season. Indonesia’s volcanology centre have said

Mount Agung is “exhibiting heightened unrest with increased likelihood of eruption”. The volcano has not erupted since 1963, when 1000 died after having only minutes to flee. Indonesian

transportation minister Budi Karya Sumadi said preparations had been made in anticipation of any disruption to air travel through the country’s second-busiest airport. Jakarta, Makassar,

Surabaya, Balikpapan, Solo, Ambon, Manado, Praya, Kupang and Banyuwangi airports will step up to become alternative routes should an ash cloud force Bali’s Ngurah Rai international airport

to close. For those already here, plans have been made to extend tourist visas if they are left stranded. Sumadi continued: “If a tourist must overstay due to the eruption of Mount Agung,

then immigration must provide assistance related to the extension of their tourist visa.” Tourism in Bali is strong, with close to five million people visiting last year. Most of their

tourists come from Australia, China and Japan. Bali’s airport is operating as normal at the moment, but airlines are preparing for an eruption. Virgin Australia and Jetstar have said they

will carry extra fuel in case their planes are required to alter course. Anna Richardson, a British diving instructor living in nearby Amed, described scenes of panic on the ground to the

Guardian. She said: “The streets were suddenly really busy and there were a few tremors, so there was a mass panic, with roads blocked. It took some people six hours to get to Sanur.” This

drive normally takes two hours. She also described how most dive shops and many restaurants had shut down in Amed over recent days. The UK Foreign Office have updated their advice in the

wake of a potential natural disaster. Updating their travel advice on Friday 22 September, and confirming it is still current today, the FCO wrote: “The National Disaster Management

Authority raised the volcanic alert level for Mount Agung in north east Bali to level 4.”