Australian airlines scramble to bring 9,000 Australian tourists home from Bali after fresh volcanic eruptions

Virgin Australia and Qantas'low cost subsidiary Jetstar are organizing additional flights to get stranded Australian tourists out of Bali despite another volcanic eruption from Mount Raung overnight.

Rebecca Patrick, from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in Darwin, told Australia's national broadcaster on Wednesday it is too early to tell how the latest eruption will affect air traffic.

"We're just watching and waiting at the moment. With the winds being quite variable, the ash is being taken into a lot of different directions," Patrick said. "At this stage it hasn't reached Bali, and we're hoping that kind of condition is going to continue."

Both airlines told local media on Wednesday they have deemed it safe to continue efforts to get nearly 9,000 passengers home in two days, racing to beat changing weather conditions.

"Additional flights have been scheduled today to ensure we can have guests on their way as soon as possible," Virgin Australia spokesperson said.

Virgin Australia had earlier announced on Wednesday it was delaying flights to Bali while it assessed flying conditions.

It was reported Virgin Australia sent up an empty aircraft from Darwin so its pilots could make a visual inspection of the ash cloud.

Qantas said it is planning two special relief flights to supplement additional services by its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar in an effort to get remaining travelers home.

Thousands of Australian passengers remain stranded on the holiday Island after flights to and from Australia were disrupted by the eruption of Mount Raung -- 150 kilometers west of Denapsar - - on July 2.

Volcanic ash clouds that can choke plane engines forced Denpasar airport to close twice in the past week. Endi