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Chaos continues for Australian travelers to Bali

Xinhua, August 7, 2015 Adjust font size:

Australian travelers again is facing a day of chaos as volcanic ash from Mount Raung causes airlines to cancel flights to the Indonesian holiday island of Bali on Friday, with delays potentially extending through the weekend.

The Mount Raung volcano, 150 kilometers west of Denpasar, has caused chaos for travelers since it began spewing ash in early July.

The volcano is still erupting up to a height of about 20,000 feet (6,096 meters).

"We are expecting these conditions to persist for a few days, so we are expecting periods of disruption to come and go," Chris Davies, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, told local media Friday.

"We are pretty much at the mercy of the winds. By Monday and Tuesday next week we should see the winds turn around."

Denpasar Airport was forced to close for several hours on Thursday to all flights but opened later that afternoon.

Australia's two main carriers have taken an ultraconservative position, with Qantas' low cost subsidiary Jetstar cancelling their Friday morning flights while rival Virgin Australia has cancelled all its Bali services.

The decision has been supported by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

Combined the two airlines operate up to 20 flights per day to and from one of Australia's most popular international holiday destinations. Endi