Ash cloud from Indonesia's Mt Rinjani grounds Bali-bound flights

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Image captionMount Rinjani is east of Bali on the nearby island of Lombok. The 3,726m active volcano is the third highest in Indonesia

Some flights to and from Bali have been cancelled for a second day due to a drifting ash cloud from Mt Rinjani, east of the Indonesian holiday island.

Denpasar Airport was closed on Tuesday, grounding all flights as officials reassessed the risk posed by the plume.

All Virgin Australia and Jetstar flights were cancelled on Wednesday, whilst Air Asia said at least 13 of its flights had been affected.

Travellers are urged to check their flights online.

The Bali hashtag continues to trend in Australia.

Image copyrightGetty Images

Image captionPersistent eruptions from Indonesia's Mount Raung to the west of Bali brought bad news for travellers earlier this year

Thousands of people were stranded on Bali for several days during the peak July holiday period due to ash from a different active volcano, east of Denpasar.

At the time, Chris Davies from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin in Australia's north told the BBC it does not take much ash to interfere with flights.

"The most dangerous aspect for aviation is that modern jet engines pull in so much air and the ash concentrates in engines and turns into a kind of molten glass," Mr Davies said.

"The ash melts, coats inside of the engine and affects fuel flow, so in the worst case scenario it can cause engines to shut off."

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