Volcanic ash forces Air NZ to cancel Indonesia flights

Air New Zealand has had to cancel two flights after a volcanic eruption in Indonesia created a huge ash cloud, making it unsafe to fly.

Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted on Sunday, spewing a 9km-high ash column.

The eruption, in East Nusa Tenggara province, about 500km from Bali, prompted the evacuation of more than 15,000 people and killed nine.

In a statement this afternoon, Air New Zealand said two of its flights, NZ62 from Auckland to Denpasar scheduled for this evening and NZ63 from Denpasar to Auckland, have been cancelled because of the ash.

"The safety of our people and our customers is our utmost priority, and we will continue to monitor the movement of the ash over the coming days and its impact to operation of our flights," Air New Zealand chief operating officer Alex Marren said.

"Customers will be reaccommodated on the next available Air New Zealand service. We thank customers for their patience while we work through this disruption."

Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia have also been disrupted.