Bali ash: Airport reopens but travellers still grounded

Stuck in Bali: Thousands of travellers have been stranded on the holiday island by the ash cloud

Australian airlines say it is not safe to fly to and from Bali, despite its airport reopening after volcanic ash grounded flights for three days.

Denpasar airport was closed on Tuesday after Mount Rinjani on Lombok island began erupting.

Two airports on Lombok and Java have also been closed because of the risk posed by the drifting ash plume.

Officials said Denpasar airport reopened at 14:30 (06:30 GMT) after a favourable wind change.

"The wind is heading to the south and south-west, which means the volcanic ash is no longer heading to Bali," chief official Yulfriadi Gona told AFP.

Virgin Australia and Jetstar have told the BBC they are monitoring the situation and will give an update on Saturday's flights on Friday afternoon.

Indonesian officials said local people were not in danger from Mt Rinjani

"Our team of meteorologists and the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre have advised that conditions in the vicinity of Denpasar Airport remain unsafe for flying," Virgin also said in a statement.

Meanwhile Jetstar said it regretted the frustration caused by the cancellations, but said the safety of its customers and crew was its top priority.

"We operate to a set of strict safety standards and make decisions independent of the airport and other airlines," it said in a statement.

Hundreds of flights - including the Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari's and the transfer of one of Interpol's most wanted men - have been affected by the ash cloud.

Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje, 55, is wanted in the western Indian city of Mumbai in connection with at least 17 cases of murder

Debris from Mount Rinjani has spewed 3,500m (11,480 ft) into the air, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

Nearby towns have been blanketed in grey ash, but locals are not in danger, spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said Thursday.

Chris Davies from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin in Australia's north told the BBC earlier this year that it does not take much ash to interfere with flights.

"The most dangerous aspect for aviation is that modern jet engines pull in so much air and the ash concentrates in engines and turns into a kind of molten glass," Mr Davies said.

"The ash melts, coats inside of the engine and affects fuel flow, so in the worst case scenario it can cause engines to shut off."