Check your travel insurance as Bali flights cancelled over volcanic activity

Airlines are monitoring the situation.

Jetstar aircraft. Picture by Shutterstock

Updated April 1, 2025, first published March 21, 2025

Jetstar has cancelled flights to and from Bali because of volcanic activity.

Jetstar has cancelled six return Bali flights on Friday, March 21 due to volcanic ash caused by Mount Lewotobi in Indonesia making it unsafe to fly.

Jetstar confirmed they are monitoring the situation and at this stage there is no impact to the airline's afternoon flights.

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The airline will contact passengers if there are any further changes to the schedule. They thank customers for their patience.

There are no impacts to Qantas flights at this time.

Two Virgin Australia flights have been delayed, and further impacts may be necessary as the ash cloud moves.

The volcano erupted on Thursday night, local time.

Local media reported the volcano sent a "dark ash tower eight kilometres into the sky," and officials raised the alert to its highest.

There were no immediate reports of damage to nearby villages, the media reported.

In November 2024, Mount Lewotobi erupted, killing nine people.

Will travel insurance cover it?

Compare the Market executive general manager of general insurance and travel insurance expert, Adrian Taylor, said most comprehensive travel insurance policies will cover natural disasters as long as people take the necessary precautions in the affected area. However, depending on the insurer, you may be able to add natural disaster cover as an optional extra.

"For people who have travel insurance and are thinking about cancelling their trip due to the Mount Lewotobi volcano eruption, the first port of call would be to review their current travel insurance policy documents to see if their chosen policy covers them for these situations," Mr Taylor said.

"Secondly, we would urge people to call their insurer and ask about potential timelines following the eruption to see if they would be covered in the case of cancelling their trip. If the trip is within the timeline set by insurers, financial relief may be available."

He said relief might come in the form of refunds for flights and accommodation or could cover the costs of transferring flights and accommodation to later in the year.

"However, this will all depend on the level of cover that people had taken out," he said.

"In cases where the time between the planned trip and the disaster is longer than any of the recovery efforts, claims on the travel insurance policy may be invalid for trip cancellations.

"If people haven't bought travel insurance yet or have done so after the volcano eruption has become a 'known event' for their upcoming Indonesian trip, it may be too late for travel insurance to cover the trip cancellation for this specific event.

"Additionally, not all travel insurance policies are created equal. While many policies can cover people up to a certain limit during a natural disaster or can provide cover if people purchase it as an extra inclusion, it's important to secure cover for weather events that can occur at the destination."

Words bySarah Falson

Sarah is ACM’s travel producer. She believes regional travel is just as fun (if not better) than staying in the big cities and loves any travel experience to do with nature, animals and food!.

My all-time favourite destination is ... Cornwall. From the giant seagulls to the blustery beaches, Cornish pasties and fishing villages, it stirs something romantic and seafaring in me.

Next on my bucket list is … Mongolia. I want to go somewhere really unique that feels totally foreign and challenges my way of life.

My top travel tip is … Don’t plan too much. Walk the streets and let it happen. And make sure you check out what’s within a few blocks of your hotel - sometimes the best local food is found that way.