Flight to Bali delayed after ash threat

Flight NZ245 was due to depart Auckland Airport for Denpasar at 4.30pm today. Photo / Brendon O'Hagan

A cloud of gritty volcanic ash has again delayed an Air New Zealand flight to Bali.

Flight NZ245 was due to depart Auckland Airport for Denpasar at 4.30pm today.

However, clouds of volcanic ash from Mt Ruang in East Java, Indonesia have again forced airlines to ground planes due to the potential hazard to aircraft engines.

"Due to continued volcanic ash in the vicinity of Denpasar Airport, today's flight NZ245 from Auckland to Denpasar has unfortunately been delayed," an Air New Zealand spokeswoman said.

The flight was now scheduled to depart from Auckland at 8am tomorrow, arriving in Denpasar at 1.30pm - subject to the airline's ability to operate.

"We recognise this departure time may cause some inconvenience, however, this time has been selected to enable the flight to arrive into Bali in daylight in consideration of the changeable conditions," the airline said.

Customers who no longer wished to travel on the later service could change their departure date, choose another destination or apply for a refund.

The late arrival of the aircraft meant the return service from Bali to Auckland, NZ246, would also be delayed.