JAKARTA, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Flight operations at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali and Lombok International Airport, Indonesia, have returned to normal after authorities found no volcanic ash dispersion from Mount Lewotobi.
From Bali airport, a flight departed for Hong Kong on Thursday at 8:15 a.m. local time, followed by a flight arriving from Perth, Australia, at 8:40 a.m. local time.
"Paper tests concluded that there was no volcanic ash, in line with satellite imagery readings," said Pande Putu Hadi Wiguna, coordinator of data and information at Ngurah Rai Class I Meteorological Station, on Thursday.
The ongoing eruption of Mount Lewotobi in East Nusa Tenggara has forced more than 13,000 people to evacuate, with ash columns reaching as high as 9 km.
Due to concerns over the spread of volcanic ash, dozens of international and domestic flights at both Bali and Lombok airports were canceled on Wednesday.
The government and relevant authorities are continuing to monitor the situation and ensure assistance for evacuees and those affected. ■