QANTAS HAS CANCELLED all flights in and out of Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra tomorrow as the sky above Australia once more falls victim to the ash cloud from the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano in Chile.

Qantas, along with Virgin and budget carrier Jetstar cancelled all services in and out of the three cities today, while Tiger Airways halted all their flights throughout the country.

The aviation minister in Australia has warned of a 48-hour delay to flights in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney, but says that the situation could change significantly, reports The Australian. More than 100,000 people have already been disrupted.

The Australian Foreign Office is advising passengers to check with airlines before traveling to airports.

A spokesperson for the Dublin Airport Authority told TheJournal.ie that because direct flights don’t operate from Dublin, it’s essential that passengers intending to travel to Australia contact their airlines directly.

Meanwhile New Zealand is also expecting delays as the ash cloud travels in its direction. The New Zealand Herald reports that the cloud is moving across from South Australia in the direction of New South Wales, and that it will hit the North Island by Wednesday morning.

This is the second time that flights in Australia and New Zealand have been grounded as a result of the Chilean volcano.

Meanwhile thousands of people in the south of Chile have returned home, two weeks after they were evacuated due to the eruption of Puyehue-Cordon Caulle, reports CNN. The volcano began erupting on 4 June, meaning 4,000 people had to leave their homes.