Bali airport reopens after days of closure due to ash cloud

Indonesian authorities reopened the international airport on the holiday hotspot of Bali on Saturday, an official said, after it was shut for days due to drifting ash from a volcano.

It was not immediately clear, however, when flights would resume at Ngurah Rai International Airport, where thousands of holidaymakers have been stranded since Thursday when drifting ash from Mount Raung on Java forced its closure, Jakarta Post said.

Indonesia's transport ministry had ordered the closure of the airport at Bali and two other domestic terminals until at least midday Saturday (0400 GMT) so that a fresh assessment of the risk posed by the volcano could be carried out.

But it was reopened Saturday morning after the situation was deemed "clear", ministry spokesman J. A. Barata said.