The international airport in Bali, which was closed on Monday because of an active volcano, has been reopened to provide stranded Canadians and others a window to leave the island.
The closure disrupted travel for tens of thousands of people, including at least 403 Canadians who had registered with Global Affairs Canada.
An airport spokesman (Arie Ahsannurohim) said volcanic ash has drifted south and southeast, leaving clean space above the airport for planes to land and take off.
The local airport authority had closed the facility because volcanic ash poses a deadly threat to aircraft and ash from Mount Agung had been moving south-southwest toward it.
However, the volcano was still erupting and Indonesia’s president has urged anyone still within an exclusion zone extending up to 10 kilometres from the mountain to get out “for the sake of their safety.”
Although 403 Canadians had registered with Global Affairs Canada, a spokeswoman said earlier in the week that since registration is voluntary, a greater number of Canadians may be in the region.
The Canadian Press
