UPDATED 1.40PM | Bali Ngurah Rai International Airport has been closed due to the volcanic ashes from Bali’s Mount Agung volcano which erupted last Thursday.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said the airport closure began early Friday after a pilot report detected volcanic ash as high as 23,000 feet following Mount Agung's eruption.

The eruption of Mount Agung in eastern Bali on Thursday has triggered at least 48 flight cancellations, including those operated by Malaysia-based AirAsia and Australia's JetStar.

The disruption has affected more than 8,000 passengers, according to media online report. Mount Agung rumbled back to life last year and threat reared its head again in November, sparking travel chaos and pounding Bali's lucrative tourism industry. Mount Agung's last major eruption in 1963 killed around 1,600 people.

AirAsia: Flights cancelled

Meanwhile, AirAsia announced today it has cancelled most flights today to and from Bali due to the closure of the airport.

The budget airline said in a statement that the Ngurah Rai International Airport was closed today, from 3am to 7pm (same time as in Malaysia).

However, it said, several flights remained as scheduled until further notice.

AirAsia strongly encouraged all passengers to update their contact details at airasia.com as their flight status would be notified via email and SMS.

The cancelled flights included those between Kuala Lumpur and Bali, between Bangkok and Bali, between Singapore and Bali, between Perth and Bali, between Jakarta and Bali, between Bandung and Bali, between Yogyakarta and Bali, and between Solo and Bali, it said.

- Bernama