Bali-flights-cancelled
Foreign tourist flock at Ngurah Rai International airport on July 10, 2015 in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. 277 flights include 160 domestic flight and 117 international flight are closed in Ngurah Airport started from Thursday 23.30 due to volcanic ash claud from Maunt Raung. Agung Parameswara/Getty Images

Indonesian authorities closed down five airports on Friday, including Denpasar Airport in tourist hotspot Bali, because of a volcanic eruption, according to local transport officials. The four other affected airports include the International Airport and Selaparang Airport in Lombok, Blimbingsari Airport in Banyuwangi, East Java, and Notohadinegoro Airport in Jember, East Java.

Mount Raung, which is located in the province of East Java, has been erupting for nearly a week, forcing authorities to cancel a number of flights between Bali and Australia, Reuters reported. National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia confirmed on Twitter that it has cancelled all its flights to and from the affected airports.

According to state airport operator Angkasa Pura, the Denpasar airport would be closed until at least 21:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. EDT). However, Indonesia's transport ministry also said that the re-opening of the airports would depend on Mount Raung's activity, BBC reported.

On Friday, both Jetstar and Virgin Australia cancelled all flights in and out of Denpasar, which is the entry point for most tourists flying in to the resort island of Bali.

“We've been advised Denpasar Airport will remain closed for at least the next 12 hours,” Jetstar said, in a statement. “Jetstar plans to schedule additional flights to and from Bali over the coming days, subject to flying conditions, to get travelers moving as soon as possible.”

According to a Virgin Australia spokeswoman, the airline is closely tracking the weather and relying on advice from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre based in Darwin, the Australian Associated Press reported.

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