Volcanic ash from Mount Raung in East Java has forced the indefinite closure of tourist gateway Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali.

The Transportation Ministry'€™s air navigation director Novi Riyanto said on Friday that the Bali airport, along with Notohadinegoro Airport in Jember and Blimbingsari Airport in Banyuwangi, both in East Java, would remain closed until further notice.

Meanwhile, Lombok International Airport and Selaparang Airport in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, which had been closed since Thursday night, reopened on Friday afternoon.

'€œWe encourage passengers to choose other modes of transportation as the airports will not resume operation until the situation improves,'€ Novi said, adding that the volcanic activity might continue.

The closure of Ngurah Rai airport led to the cancellation on Thursday night of 316 flights, comprising 168 domestic and 148 international flights.

The airport'€™s general manager, Trikora Harjo, said the closure had been decided on based on reports from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC).

'€œThe reports say that Mt. Raung'€™s eruptions have caused volcanic ash above Bali at between 17,000 and 20,000 feet (5,182 and 6,096 meters). That is very dangerous,'€ he said.

Following the closure, hordes of tourists were seen milling about at the airport.

To help reduce the crowd, the airport management provided two shuttle buses to Ubung bus station in Denpasar for domestic passengers wanting to switch to land transportation.

Many, however, preferred to stay overnight at the airport, including Edouard Lecolier, a French tourist. '€œI have to get another ticket from another airline, but they are also cancelled,'€ Lecolier said.

Australian Barbara Wilson was sanguine about the closure. '€œWe cannot do anything about the volcano. Why would I be disappointed?'€ she asked. Airlines have applied different policies following the closure. Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia offered hotels to passengers and offered full refunds on tickets.

'€œWe also advise passengers to reschedule flights. No charge will be levied for rescheduling,'€ said Garuda Indonesia'€™s Bali office general manager, Syamsuddin.

Lombok International Airport was closed on Thursday because of the ash, but reopened on Friday.

'€œFurther developments will be made according to the condition of the flight routes,'€ said provincial Transportation, Information and Communication Agency head Agung Hartono.

The closure, Agung said, had also influenced air traffic at Sultan Kaharuddin Airport in Sumbawa and Salahuddin Airport in Bima, for both of which the Lombok airport serves as an access point.

He advised passengers to use alternative transportation to travel to neighboring Bali.

Meanwhile in Yogyakarta, the cancelation of eight flights serving the Yogyakarta '€” Bali route on Thursday left hundreds of passengers stranded at Adisucipto International Airport.

The airport'€™s spokesperson, Edwin Wibowo, said that of the canceled flights, three were operated by Garuda, three by Lion Air and the remaining two by AirAsia.

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