A 1,703m twin-peaked volcano on the eastern tourist island of Flores, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki’s eruption sent a 10km tower of ash into the sky.

In a statement, AirAsia said the volcanic ash clouds in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara region could pose a significant threat to safe flight operations.

Flights operated by AirAsia Malaysia (AK), AirAsia Indonesia (QZ) and AirAsia X Malaysia (D7) are affected by the incident.

AirAsia said it was committed to assisting its guests during this time and that it had notified all affected guests on their flight status and recovery options.

It said it was working to ensure that guests could resume their journeys safely on the next available flight.

“AirAsia continues to monitor Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcanic activity and will update its travel advisory with the resumption of normal operations,” it said.

Earlier today, international news agency AFP reported that at least two dozen flights to and from Bali had been cancelled because of the volcano eruption.

Bali’s international airport website said the flights cancelled included Jetstar and Virgin Australia flights to cities across Australia, with Air India, Air New Zealand, Singapore’s TigerAir and China’s Juneyao Airlines also cancelling flights.

Several domestic AirAsia flights leaving for Labuan Bajo on Flores were also cancelled.

Volcanic ash rained down on several villages around Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki and forced the evacuation of at least one village late yesterday. There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.

In November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times, killing nine people, cancelling scores of international flights to the tourist island of Bali and forcing thousands to evacuate.