Bali airport reopens, evacuations still in place as Mount Agung spews ash across popular tourist destination

After tens of thousands of tourists became stranded when volcanic ash closed Bali's airport, airlines took advantage of clearer skies and increased flights on Thursday.

The international airport in Bali opened on Wednesday afternoon after being closed on Monday and Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

Airport spokesman Ari Ahsanurrohim, said 440 flights were canceled on Tuesday, impacting about 59,500 travelers following similar cancellations on Monday.

"Volcanic ash reaching 25,000 feet (7,600 meters) in the air began drifting south and southeast of Mount Agung on Wednesday, leaving clean space above the airport for planes to land and take off," said Ahsannurohim.

The airport is southwest of the volcano, so a slight shift of the winds aloft from the north to northeast would send the ash cloud back over the international airport and cause additional delays or closures.

"Winds may shift back toward Bali's international airport through the weekend," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said.

Rain is causing additional dangers across the eruption zone as water and volcanic debris were seen flowing down the mountain, the AP reported. People are being urged to stay away from rivers.

Localized downpours will continue into Saturday, which will heighten the risk for more debris flows and isolated flooding.

Drier air is expected to build over the island Sunday and Monday, limiting the threat for rainfall.

"Showers and thunderstorms may once again become more numerous by next Tuesday as moisture increases," Pydynowski said.

Airlines took advantage of clearer skies on Thursday, increasing the number of flights out of Bali's international airport.

The AP reported that Australia's Jetstar added six more flights than normal on Thursday to aid in getting Australians home.

While flights resumed at Bali's airport, the changing wind direction forced the closure of the small international airport on Lombok island through at least Thursday evening.

Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency raised the volcano’s alert to level four, the highest possible, on Monday and expanded an exclusion zone to 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the crater.

While 100,000 people live within the evacuation zone, tens of thousands have refused to leave their homes and livestock.

Agung’s last major eruption in 1963 claimed around 1,100 lives.

While travel disruption has been limited to Bali at this time, further large eruptions could result in air travel delays expanding across the region.

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