<p>An eruption at Mount Agung in Bali shut down three airports on Friday, June 29, affecting tens of thousands of travelers.</p><p>Volcanic ash forced Ngurah Rai International Airport in to close from 3 am local time on June 29</a>. It reopened</a> at 2:30 pm, four and half hours earlier than scheduled.</p><p>Meanwhile in East Java, Banyuwangi Airport (formerly known as Blimbing Sari Airport) in Banyuwangi and Noto Hadinegoro Airport in Jember were also also closed, according to</a> Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency.</p><p>The closure of Ngurah Rai Airport, a major tourist hub, was likely to affect nearly 75,000 passengers, with the cancellation of nearly 450 flights, Sutopo said</a>.</p><p>The volcano’s eruption this week, which began</a> on Wednesday, June 27, emitted plumes of volcanic ash reaching as high as 2,000 metres above the crater.</p><p>This video of the eruption was shared online on June 28.</p><p>The volcano previously erupted</a> about two weeks ago, on June 13. Mount Agung erupted</a> five times in late November 2017, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate and disrupting air travel. Credit: Bali Mobile Police Brigade via Storyful</p><br />
