This week, Bali airports were temporarily shut down after the volcanic ash from Mount Raung cloaked the Indonesian skies. Unfortunately, the severe flight disruptions in the archipelago nation have posed financial risks to airline companies that are now facing increasing bills due to airport closures.
Due to the volcanic ash clouds, Indonesian authorities closed Bali airports including airstrips in Lombok and eastern Java, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in the renowned tourist destination.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, airline companies were dealing with increasingly frustrated passengers following the airport closures. It has already been the third consecutive day of severe flight disruptions in the country, which unluckily coincides with a very busy travel period due to the end of the school holidays.
Prior to the Bali airport closures on Thursday night, many passengers have already been questioning why they were stranded on the ground while others were able to board flights home.
Aircraft engineering expert and former Qantas and United Airlines senior manager Peter Marosszeky explained that airline companies took different parameters before deciding to cease their flights. He added that the airlines took into consideration suitable flight plans, as well as safety and financial measures, Canberra Times has learned.
"Volcanic ash can be absolutely disastrous for jet engines. In a lot of cases you can't see the ash and radar doesn't pick it up," he said before adding, "It won't take much for engines to fail if they sucked in heavy amounts of ash."
Meanwhile, airline companies such as Virgin Australia and Jetstar have been making their assessments on whether to cancel flights to and from Bali based on the advice from the Bureau of Meteorology's Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin. Southeast Asia-based airlines, on the other hand, have more flexibility in deciding whether to fly or not because of their shorter flight times.
Even though damage to engines from light plumes of ash was not directly apparent, Marosszeky said ash particles build up on turbine blades could ultimately lead to engine failure in the long run. It also boils down to how much financial risk an airline can take despite the substantial engine damages ash particles can cause to the airplanes.
"It comes down to how much risk you want to take and... operational considerations by the management," he said, emphasizing the ultimate decision to fly depended on the aircraft's captain.
Aside from Bali airports, Indonesian authorities also closed down four other affected airstrips, including the International Airport and Selaparang Airport in Lombok, Blimbingsari Airport in Banyuwangi, East Java, and Notohadinegoro Airport in Jember, East Java because of a volcanic eruption, International Business Times reported.
Mount Raung, which is located in the eastern province of Java, has been erupting for almost a week now, forcing severe flight disruptions between Bali and Australia, as per Reuters.
