Australian airlines are refusing to take passengers in or out of Bali despite the airport reopening, saying the volcanic ash cloud remains “unacceptably close”.

Both Virgin and Jetstar cancelled their flights for Friday and are due to make a decision on Saturday flights later today.

In a statement on its Facebook page, Jetstar said the decision had been made by senior pilots and the operations team and was based on advice from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre.

• Aussies stranded in Bali as airports remain closed
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“Although Denpasar Airport has reopened, the ash cloud is still too close for us to fly safely to and from Australia,” an airline spokesperson said.

“This is partly because we can’t say for sure where the ash cloud will be several hours from now – which is how long it will take any of our aircraft to get to Bali.

“What I can guarantee is that, as soon we’re satisfied that it is safe for us to fly, we will quickly resume our flights.”

Virgin has advised customers in Bali not to travel to Denpasar Airport without a confirmed rebooked flight.

“We continue to monitor the situation closely. The safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority and we will keep customers updated as new information becomes available,” the airline said.

Bali airport management reopened the facility at 2.30pm local time on Thursday, saying the ash from the volcano on Lombok island was no longer blowing towards Bali.

However they had to spend several hours cleaning the runway and aircraft of ash before any flights could take off or land.

– ABC/AAP