An “orange” aviation alert—the second highest level—has been issued following a minor eruption from Bali’s Mount Agung on Tuesday evening, but flights are still coming in and out of the island’s Ngurah Rai International Airport as normal for the time being.
“Until now, there has been no impact from the eruption of Mount Agung,” airport spokesman Arie Ahsanurrohim told Sindo News on Tuesday evening.
“All flight schedules are running normally,” he said.
After months of intensive monitoring, Mount Agung shot up a thick cloud of smoke, 700 meters from the volcano’s crater at 5:05pm on Tuesday. The eruption, classified as a minor “phreatic,” or steam blast eruption, was not enough for authorities to raise the volcano’s alert status to the highest level.
Agung remains on level III (standby) for an eruption, where it’s been since Oct. 29, after previously being on level IV (danger) for five weeks.
But as for the increased aviation alert, issued approximately just 34 minutes after Agung erupted yesterday, the orange status is an upgrade of the Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) from yellow, advises close watch on Agung’s status.
Yesterday’s eruption sent ash blowing “gently” in an easterly and southeasterly direction, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said.
But even flights to Bali’s eastward neighbor Lombok have not been disrupted, Ahsanurrohim said.
“There are still flights to Lombok, so there’s not been any change.”
The “orange” notice on Agung:
