Australia warns travellers over security at Bali airport

JAKARTA, Wednesday (AFP) The Australian government warned its citizens Wednesday that security at the Indonesian resort island of Bali's international airport does not meet international standards. In an updated travel advisory, it said that the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had declared that Bali's Denpasar airport does not comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.

It said Qantas and Australian Airlines services continued to operate as normal to Bali with "additional security measures in place to meet ICAO security standards."

A press release posted on the TSA website said that the US Department of Homeland Security had directed US air carriers issuing tickets for travel between the United States and Indonesia to notify buyers accordingly.

It said TSA representatives were assisting local authorities "with correcting security deficiencies at the airport as quickly as possible."

Carriers flying between the United States and Indonesia were temporarily providing their own additional security, it said. The Indonesian government was notified of its failure to comply with ICAO standards 90 days ago, it added.

Indonesia's most popular international tourist destination has been rocked by Islamic extremist bombings twice: a 2002 attack killed 202 people, while a triple suicide bombing in October killed 20 bystanders.