Trapped Malaysians fear extended delay

Malaysians stranded in Bali fear they are in for a long delay.

Many felt that flights in and out of the Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali would remain grounded, and that it would take time for the situation to return to normal.

The closure of the airport was extended for another 24 hours yesterday.

Eric Tang said he received an email from AirAsia last night, informing him of his flight’s cancellation.

“I was notified that my flight was rescheduled to Nov 30. But, due to current circumstances, I think it will be cancelled as well.

“The airport has been closed since yesterday.

“Apart from the delayed flights, everything here is under control. The staff are well-trained to handle this kind of situation,” he told the yesterday.

Tang said one of the options to leave was by taking a boat or ferry to Surabaya and then flying here.

“I received this information from the hotel staff. They told me that the journey to Surabaya would take up to 14 hours.

“I am no longer staying at the airport as it is inconvenient for my family,” said Tang, who is in Bali for a family vacation.

Tourist Cuzario David, who has been in Bali since Saturday, said he hoped the sky would clear up soon so that the airport could resume operations.

“It has been raining here since yesterday, which worries me.

“I am travelling with my family and we are supposed to leave tomorrow morning (today). But, I have yet to receive any update on my flight cancellations.”

He said he was told by a friend that airlines would only issue the flight status upon check-in.

“I think by then it would be too late because time and money will be wasted.

“I will speak to the airline’s support team on social media to get updates.

“They have been efficient in providing help to stranded travellers here,” he said.