A volcanic eruption in Indonesia prompted flight cancellations to and from the northern Australian city of Darwin, with huge ash clouds sweeping the air, BBC News reported.
With the ash sweeping south towards Australia, Mount Sangeang Api began erupting on Friday.
Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia have all cancelled flights. Other airports could be affected in the coming days as well, the authorities said.
Hundreds of passengers have been caught up as disruption is expected to continue until at least Sunday.
"The volcano is undergoing a sustained, rather significant eruption at the moment," Emile Jansons, manager of the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre told Reuters news agency.
"For the last 10 hours we've been observing large masses of volcanic ash being generated," he said. "Nobody has a very good handle on what this volcano is likely to do in the next 24 hours or beyond."
Some flights between Perth and Bali were cancelled on Saturday, according to BBC News.
Since the fine particles of volcanic ash are extremely dangerous, they can wreck aircrafts by causing damage to the engines.
The cloud is now sweeping south towards as Alice Springs, officials said.
Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said it could take days for Australian services to return to normal.
"Depending on wind and other weather conditions, the ash has the potential to affect flights to and from other airports, including Brisbane, during coming days," he said.
Following an eruption in 1988, the island of Sangeang Api has no permanent residents after they vacated. Nearby farmers have also allegedly been instructed to leave the area.
"Indonesia lies across a series of geological fault-lines and is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions," BBC News reported. "There are about 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia."
After a volcano erupted in east Java in February, tens of thousands of people fled their homes and several people were killed.
