Hot lava flows from Mount Ruang volcano during an eruption in Sitaro, North Sulawesi province April 17, 2024.

KOTA KINABALU (April 18): Malaysia Airlines cancelled 19 flights between the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and destinations in Sabah and Sarawak on Thursday, following the volcanic eruption at Mount Ruang, Indonesia.

Malaysia Airlines, in a statement, said 11 of the cancelled flights were to and from Sabah and eight flights involved Sarawak.

Malaysia Airlines will continue to closely monitor developments, and further updates on flight cancellations will be communicated directly to affected customers.

"Concurrently, the airline is working to accommodate passengers affected by the cancellation of flights on alternative flights, once the situation progressively improves,” it said.

Malaysia Airlines also said that passengers are urged to update their contact details via My Booking on Malaysia Airlines’ website, to receive timely updates from time to time via email and SMS.

The safety of the passengers and crew remains of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines, it said.

In Putrajaya, AirAsia group chief executive officer Bo Lingam said affected AirAsia passengers can move their flights by making a one-time change to any new travel date within 30 days from the original departure date on the same route without additional cost, subject to seat availability.

“They can also retain the value of the flight booking in the guest’s Airasia Rewards member account for future travel with AirAsia to be redeemed within 730 calendar days (two years) from the issuance date.

“The travel date of the new booking can fall on any date within the published flight schedule on airasia.com,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

AirAsia flights to and from nine airports, namely Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Sandakan, Labuan, Miri, Sibu, Bintulu, Kuching and Brunei, are affected by the cancellation starting 10am Thursday until 8am Friday.

Bo Lingam said guests who wish to make booking changes online may do so at airasia.com or AirAsia Move (previously known as airasia Superapp).

“We understand that this may cause inconvenience to our guests and we apologise for the disruption to their travel plans. However, the safety of our guests and crew is paramount and we appreciate our guests’ understanding and cooperation during this time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Batik Air also announced the cancellation of several flights scheduled to and from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) to Sabah and Sarawak on Thursday, following the incident.

Batik Air, in a statement on Thursday, said it understands the inconvenience this may cause and assured that the safety of its passengers and crew remains top priority.

The airline said it will diligently monitor the situation and communicate directly to passengers, any updates regarding its flight schedule to and from the affected destinations.

“Additionally, timely updates will be accessible on our websites and social media channels. In the meantime, we are actively working to assist affected passengers by arranging alternative flights.

“We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this challenging time,” the statement said.