TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Tourism Minister advises hotels to give special rates due to Mount Agung eruption
For international tourists whose visas have expired, their visas will be extended to a month.
Change Size
Illustration of a hotel room. (Shutterstock/File)
N
gurah Rai International Airport in Bali has been closed temporarily since 07:15 a.m. due to volcanic ash from Mount Agung. The Indonesian Flight Navigation Service Institution (LPPNPI) or AirNav Indonesia has released Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) No. A4242/17 regarding the issue.
The airport will remain closed for the next 18 hours. Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya who initially was scheduled to travel to Bali has instructed his team to prepare for the Mount Agung eruption.
“Make sure all of the passengers whose flights have been canceled and have to check-in to hotels are given special rates, like 50 percent discount,” Arief said.
“For airlines, especially low cost ones, don’t charge cancellation fee or rescheduling fee,” he added.
And for international tourists whose visas have expired, their visas will be extended to a month.
The volcanic ash from the eruption has traveled to the east, causing the temporary closure of Lombok International Airport and cancellation of more than 5,000 flight seats, both domestic and international flights.
The statement from NOTAM reads “Mount Agung volcanic ash has covered the area above Denpasar. Due to safety reason, the aerial area can’t be used and I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar is temporarily closed.”
The NOTAM also mentions that the airport will be opened on Nov. 28 at 07:00 a.m.
“All of the domestic and international flights to Denpasar who are flying at the moment will be redirected to the closest airport such as Juanda [Surabaya], Makassar, Lombok or Kupang. The latest data shows that seven flights have been redirected,” explained AirNav Indonesia operational director, Wisnu Darjono.
Garuda Indonesia’s Denpasar-bound flights GA 5150 from Zhengzhou and GA 897 from Guangzhou are redirected to Surabaya and Garuda Indonesia flight GA 859 from Shanghai to Denpasar are redirected to Jakarta, as is China Eastern flight MU 5029 from Shanghai.
Meanwhile, China Eastern flight MU 781 from Beijing is redirected to Singapore, Citilink’s CTV 856 from Jakarta to Denpasar is redirected to Surabaya and Lion Air’s JT927 from Makassar is also redirected to Surabaya. (asw)
