Indonesia shuts down int'l airport in Lombok for volcanic ash
Xinhua,November 30, 2017 Adjust font size:
JAKARTA. Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian Transport Ministry on Thursday closed again the international airport in Lombok of West Nusa Tenggara province due to impact of volcanic ash from Mount Agung volcano on nearby Bali island, a senior government official said.
The closure started at 10:37 a.m. local time and will be ended at 00:00 p.m. local time, a statement from directorate general air transport of the ministry disclosed.
it was revealed that the spread of volcanic ash heads to the south and southeast where the airport is situated.
The closure was undertaken after the authorities reopened the airport on Tuesday after they shut it down a day earlier.
Lombok is another major tourist destination for foreign holiday makers in Indonesia.
During the eruption, the government has made the Lombok international airport as an alternate airport when the Bali Ngurah Rai airport could not serve flight.
The flight authorities have earlier downgraded flight alert level.
However, Mount Agung volcano in Karangasem district remains at the top eruption alert level.
Over 1,500 people were killed in the last eruption of the volcano in 1963.
The Mount Agung is one of more than 100 active volcanoes in the archipelagic nation. Enditem