The spectacular eruption of the Mt Kelud volcano in east Java on Thursday night is causing flight cancellations and significant delays for flights between Australia and South-East Asia.

At least two people have died, hundreds of thousands of Indonesians have been evacuated and four airports have been closed after the volcano erupted hurling red-hot ash and rocks.

The ash cloud was covering the entire island of Java and reached an altitude of 55,0000ft — well above the cruising altitude of 40,000ft.

It has now moved in a south-west direction and climbed as high as 65,000ft. It now threatens flights between the Middle-East and Australia.

Planes cannot fly through thick ash because it can clog the engines.

According to the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, the ash cloud covered all of Java on Friday.

Yesterday, Virgin Australia said it was “very sorry for the inconvenience however the safety of our customers is the highest priority”.

“Our meteorologists are continually monitoring the weather situation, in consultation with the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin, and we will recommence normal operations as soon as the volcanic ash cloud safely allows it,” an airline spokesman said.

It recommended passengers check their latest flight status information online the airline website.

Garuda Indonesia said that all its international flights were still operating normally but disruptions might occur.

Indonesian authorities have closed the domestic airports of Jogjakarta, Surabaya, Malang and Solo.

Indonesia Air Asia is continuing to operate normally.

In June 2011, air travel in Australia and New Zealand was thrown into chaos by ash from the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano in Chile which swept over southern Australia and New Zealand.

The ash cloud went around the world twice and disrupted travel plans for hundreds of thousands of travellers.

In May 2010, thousands of flights were grounded in Europe after Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted.

The most extraordinary encounter with an ash cloud was in June 1982 when a British Airways 747 flying from London to Perth via Kuala Lumpur operating Flight BA9 with 263 passengers and crew had total engine loss after it flew through volcanic ash caused by the violent and sudden eruption of Mt Galunggung in Indonesia.

Capt. Eric Moody and his crew, in an amazing display of skill, cleared the engines of ash by putting the 747 into a steep dive.

The engines were restarted when the aircraft reached about 12,000ft.