Mount Agung volcano erupts during the night, as seen from Datah village, Karangasem Regency in Bali, Indonesia.
REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
DENPASAR, Indonesia (Reuters) - The airport on Indonesia's holiday island of Bali reopened on Friday after ash from a volcano forced a brief closure and the cancellation of more than 300 flights.
Mount Agung in northeastern Bali has been rumbling to life intermittently since late last year and it began belching smoke and ash again on Thursday.
Mount Agung volcano erupts during the night, as seen from Kubu, Karangasem Regency in Bali, Indonesia on June 29, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
It was shooting a column of ash more than 2,500 meters (8,200 feet) into the sky on Friday and officials said operations at Indonesia's second-busiest airport would be reviewed every few hours.
Earlier, authorities were forced to cancel 115 international flights and 203 domestic ones, affecting nearly 27,000 travelers.
"We're monitoring the eruption," said Israwadi, a spokesman for airport operator Angkasa Pura.
Mount Agung volcano erupts during the night, as seen from Datah village, Karangasem Regency in Bali, Indonesia on June 29, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
"The airport could be closed again if the eruption affects flight safety."
Airlines avoid flying through volcanic ash as it can damage aircraft engines, clog fuel and cooling systems and hamper visibility.
Agung towers over eastern Bali to a height of just over 3,000 meters (9,800 feet). Its last major eruption in 1963 killed more than 1,000 people and razed several villages.
Foreign tourists sit at a photo booth as their flight to Bali was canceledled due to Mount Agung's eruption, at Lombok International airport in Lombok Tengah, Indonesia, June 29, 2018. Antara Foto/Ahmad Subadi/via REUTERS
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho of the disaster mitigation agency said activity was going on deep under the volcano.
"Micro tremors are still being detected ... indicating that magma is moving towards the surface," Nugroho said in a statement.
Operations at Bali's airport were disrupted for more than week in early December, stranding thousands of visitors before winds changed to blow the smoke away and the volcano calmed down.
Passengers are seen waiting for flights outside the International Terminal at Ngurah Rai Airport after some flights were cancelled or rescheduled following an eruption of Mount Agung volcano in Bali, Indonesia June 28, 2018 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Wira Suryantala/via REUTERS
Hundreds of villagers living near the volcano evacuated their homes as it began erupting on Thursday, and moved into three evacuation centers.
Anxious passengers thronged Bali's airport, waiting for news about their flights.
Among the airlines serving the resort island, Garuda Indonesia, Sriwijaya and Indonesia Air Asia said they were working to help stranded passengers.
Airplane passengers stand in front of flight board as their flight was canceled due to Mount Agung eruption at Ngurah Rai airpot in Denpasar, Bali resort island, Indonesia, June 29, 2018. Antara Foto/Wira Suryantala/via REUTERS
Virgin Australia, Qantas and Jet Star were monitoring the situation in consultation with Australia's Bureau of Meteorology's Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre.
A local guide and foreign tourists take pictures of Mount Agung volcano erupting from Amed, Karangasem Regency in Bali, Indonesia on June 29, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
(Additional reporting by Bernadette Christina Munthe, Cindy Silviana, Jessica Damiana and Australian bureau; writing by Ed Davies and Fanny Poktin; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore, Robert Birsel)
Mount Agung volcano can be seen erupting from Amed in Karangasem Regency, Bali, Indonesia June 29, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. ChristoA motorist takes pictures of Mount Agung volcano erupting in Kubu, Karangasem Regency in Bali, Indonesia on June 29, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. ChristoMount Agung volcano erupts, as seen from Kubu, Karangasem Regency in Bali, Indonesia on June 29, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. ChristoMount Agung volcano erupts, as seen from Kubu, Karangasem Regency in Bali, Indonesia on June 29, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. ChristoMotorists use mask as they ride through street covered by volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Agung volcanic at Pemuteran village in Karangasem Regency, Bali resort island, Indonesia, June 29, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. ChristoVehicles travel through street covered by volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Agung volcanic at Pemuteran village in Karangasem Regency, Bali resort island, Indonesia, June 29, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. ChristoA dog crosses a street covered by volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Agung volcanic at Pemuteran village in Karangasem Regency, Bali resort island, Indonesia, June 29, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. ChristoA villager uploads boxes of goods on a truck as Mount Agung volcano's eruption is seen in the background in Amed in Karangasem Regency, Bali resort island, Indonesia June 29, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. ChristoA guide take pictures of foreign tourists with Mount Agung volcano's eruption in the background, seen from Amed in Karangasem Regency, Bali resort island, Indonesia on June 29, 2018. REUTERS/Johannes P. Christo
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