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Bali tourists still stranded at Ngurah Rai

The four-day closure of airports across Europe has left many Bali holidaymakers stranded at airports across Asia

Trisha Sertori (The Jakarta Post)
Denpasar
Wed, April 21, 2010

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Bali tourists still stranded at Ngurah Rai

The four-day closure of airports across Europe has left many Bali holidaymakers stranded at airports across Asia.

Dimyati, the assistant manager for legal and public relations at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport, said Monday that most passengers were heading to Asian airports with direct flights to Europe.
He said this meant the backlog of passengers at Ngurah Rai would be manageable when European airspace reopened. 

Air space across much of Europe has been closed following the ongoing eruptions from a volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland.

Airplanes traveling through volcanic ash plumes are at severe risk of damage.

“We do not know when the airspace will re-open. We have not received advice from NOTAM [Notice to Airmen], nor do we know exactly how many passengers are stranded in Bali,” Dimyati said.

“Cathay Pacific has asked passengers to remain in Bali as Singapore is full. We are currently compiling data on how many other tourists have opted to stay in Bali rather than travel to airports where they catch their European flights.”

Tour groups have been badly hit by the eruption, according to Dutch tour leader Net Smit, who is traveling with 17 visitors.

“We have opted to stay on in Bali until we can fly directly to Europe,” Smit said.

“We met another group who are being flown on to Hong Kong tonight, but they will be stuck there when they arrive. “Certainly, all the hotels across much of Asia will be full because of the backlog of people wanting to get out. We are lucky to be here in Bali instead.”

Despite being “lucky” Smit says his group must “hotel hop” daily as most hotels are full with other rooms booked, waiting for travelers from Europe to begin arriving.

“We have no idea when we can fly. The airlines have given us no information at all, nor have the airport, or our travel agent. We don’t expect to be able to leave until maybe Thursday or Friday this week, and we don’t know how long we can stay in this hotel. We are hotel hopping. We are a big group so accommodation is difficult,” said Smit.

He said that the airline was not paying for the hotel accommodation.

Other airlines, he added, were providing accommodation for travelers.

“But Malaysia Airlines, who we are flying with, is not doing that.

The airline wanted my tour group to fly on to Kuala Lumpur and wait there, but these people are in a tour group and would not have a guide. The airport is 70 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur and the airline was not willing to help these people find accommodation, so they are better here in Bali,” Smit said.

He added that some members of his tour group were distressed at being unable to return home.

However they recognized there was no alternative, he added.

“We also have two tour groups stuck in Holland trying to get here.

“My groups travel to Sumatra, Java and then Bali, so everything now needs to be rescheduled,” Smit said.

Despite being “lucky” Smit says his group must “hotel hop” daily as most hotels are full, with other rooms booked off, waiting for travelers from Europe to arrive.

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