DENPASAR, 31 July 2018: All flights to Lombok and Bali are operating normally, while geologists say they do not anticipate another earthquake.
The 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Lombok, Sunday morning, resulting in 14 deaths and 162 injuries.
According reports the quake hit the east coast of the island a considerable distance from major tourist districts.
In the immediate aftermath of the quake, TV footage showed local residents comforting distressed tourists assuring them the worst was over. So far there have been no reports of foreign casualties.
Asian Trails in an email alert to its travel partners said it had a team on the ground working closely with guests, who were currently on Lombok.
The communiqué confirmed that the earthquake caused a landslide on the 3,700 metre-high Mount Rinjani an active volcano on Lombok. All tours to Rinjani have now stopped until further notice.
Around 500 trekkers were reported stranded on the mountain’s slopes, Mondayt, following the landslide.
There have been hundreds of aftershocks since the quake struck, but based on official assessments by geologists authorities said they were not anticipate another quake.
Tour companies that are assisting their clients on the island, or those who are booked to visit the island this week, said it was safe to travel to Lombok.
For those travelling by boat to Lombok and the Gili Islands speedboat services are still not operating and the suspension has now bee extended until 1 August.
However, Asian Trails said it was likely that the suspension would be extended again due to continued heavy seas and storms in the straits.
Bali Hotels Association’s statement, released Monday based on the official update from National Disaster Management Authority, noted that the areas most impacted were East Lombok, North Lombok, West Lombok, West Sumbawa and Mataram City.
No casualties or damage was report on Bali island.
Meanwhile, AirAsia confirmed that all of its flights to Lombok were operating as per schedule.
The airline encouraged all passengers to update their contact details at airasia.com to ensure that they were notified of any updates to their flights.
Guests whose travel plans were impacted by the earthquake can choose service recovery options such as a change of flight within 14 calendar days from the original flight time without additional cost, subject to seat availability. Or they can opt to credit the flight for a different one within 90 days.
Passengers who wish to opt for move flight date/credit account* should fill in an e-Form available on support.airasia.com.
*Applicable for bookings made before 29 July with the traveling period from 29 July to 5 August.
