Flights reportedly resumed at 3 p.m. local time, with passengers packing check-in counters at the airport, which was closed on Monday morning following the eruption of Mt. Agung on Saturday.
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| Several people are seen at the departure lobby of Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali. The airport authority closed the airport for 24 hours, starting at 7:15 a.m. on Monday, due to the spread of volcanic ash from Mount Agung. (JP/Ni Komang Erviani ) |
The decision was made following a meeting at Ngurah Rai Airport’s Emergency Operation Center (EOC) room, which had in attendance related institutions and stakeholders. They included the airport’s authority, state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I (AP I), the Bali Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the Tourism Ministry.
They decided to reopen the airport after the Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation (VONA) was decreased from red-green to orange-green, indicating that Bali airspace was safe for flights.
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said he hoped that Bali, as Indonesia's most popular tourist destination, would soon return to normal because the peak of the year-end holiday season was approaching.
“Forty percent of our tourists go to Bali. Bali is our main tourism destination,” Arief said on Wednesday.
The Indonesian Tourism Industry Board (GIPI) Bali has provided free accommodation for stranded tourists at Ngurah Rai Airport.
Arief also mentioned that on the second day of the airport's closure, hotels gave special rates for tourists, such as a 50 percent discount. “This is a long-term investment, building customers' loyalty so they can love Bali even more,” he said. (JakartaPost)
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