Kiwis still stranded in Bali because of volcanic ash

  • 14/07/2015
Kiwis still stranded in Bali because of volcanic ash

Thousands of travellers are stranded at Bali's main airport as ash from a nearby volcanic eruption prevents flights in and out of Denpasar.

There are 440 Kiwis currently registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as being in Indonesia.

The main cause for the delays is volcanic ash cloud from Mount Raung.

So what is the latest on the flight situation in Bali and will holiday-makers be able to return home soon?

Flight Centre's Sean Berenson and the Civil Aviation Authority's chief meteorological officer Peter Lechner both joined Paul Henry this morning.

"The key issues with volcanic ash is that it contains very fine silicon bits and these can melt onto the turbine blades of the aircraft, especially given modern turbine jets which run at very high temperatures. This can cause the engine to stall and stop," says Mr Lechner.

Watch the full interview with Sean Berenson and Peter Lechner.