REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KUTA -- Vice President Jusuf Kalla could not leave Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday as I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport was temporarily closed due to the volcanic ashes spewed by Mount Raung.
"The RI-2 is in Bali. It was scheduled to return to Jakarta this afternoon. However, due to the closure of the airport, his (the vice president's) flight was canceled," the head of the airport authority for the fourth region, which covers Bali-Nusa Tenggara, Yusfandri Gona, told the press.
Kalla and his entourage were supposed to fly back to Jakarta at 3:00 p.m. by a Boeing 737 plane of the Indonesian Air Force.
They left the airport after being informed that it was shut down due to the eruption of the volcano. The airport is expected to resume operations on Thursday, July 23, at 6:00 a.m. local time.
Kalla and his relatives were on holiday in Bali.
The Bali airport was closed on the advice of the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency and the Darwin-based Volcanic Ash Advisory Council. They reported that ashes from Mount Raung were blowing towards Bali.
Since July 9, the eruption of Mount Raung, which is located on the borders of Banyuwangi, Bondowoso and Jember districts in East Java province, has forced Bali's I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport to shut down temporarily on several occasions, with ash clouds drifting towards one of the world's most famous tourist islands.
Besides Ngurah Rai Airport, four other Indonesian airports---Lombok International Airport and Selaparang Airport in West Nusa Tenggara province, and Blimbingsari Airport in Banyuwangi and Notohadinegoro Airport in Jember, both in East Java province---were also temporarily closed recently due to the eruption of the volcano.
Moreover, the Directorate General of Air Transportation of the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation issued a notice to airmen (Notam) regarding the closure of the five airports, in anticipation of hazards that can result from the volcanic ashes spewed by Mount Raung.
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