THAI resumes Bali flights as volcanic ash fears allayed

Thai Airways International (THAI) has resumed flights to Bali after Denpasar airport reopened yesterday following its closure due to volcanic ash from Mount Raung in East Java.

The airline cancelled its flights from Suvarnabhumi airport to Bali on Friday.

About 200 THAI passengers at Denpasar and Suvarnabhumi airports were told to wait for better weather conditions on Friday after Indonesian authorities decided to close the airport over fears ash from Mount Raung would affect pilots’ visibility.

The closure of the airport caused both THAI and Asia Aviation Co, owner of Don Mueang airport-based Thai AirAsia, to cancel flights between Thailand and Denpasar.

It is not known if Thai AirAsia has resumed its flights.

Other carriers also affected by the closure included Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Air New Zealand.

Up to 112 Garuda Indonesia flights from Denpasar were also suspended. Meanwhile, THAI cancelled flights to and from Shanghai yesterday after meteorologists warned of strong winds and downpours at Shanghai airport as a result of the Chan-hom typhoon, which has made landfall along the coast of Zhejiang in eastern China.

The cancelled flights were TG664, scheduled to leave Suvarnabhumi airport for Shanghai at 11am, and TG665, scheduled to leave Shanghai at 5.25pm (local time) and arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport at 9pm.