News: Australia's Tigerair grounds flights to Bali over Indonesian rules

JAKARTA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Tigerair Australia said on Wednesday it had cancelled at least six scheduled flights to and from the popular holiday destination of Bali after the Indonesian government imposed new administrative requirements.

"Tigerair Australia is still working with the Indonesian Government to resume flights to and from Bali as soon as possible," Tigerair, a unit of Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd (VAH), said on its website. (http//tigerair.com.au/fly/travel-alerts)

However, a spokesman for Indonesia's transport ministry said that it had suspended three of Tigerair's chartered flights to Denpasar, the capital of Bali, from Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, but not the airline's scheduled flights.

"(Tigerair) did not meet the rule for chartered flights. They should not sell tickets in the territories of Indonesia," Agoes Soebagio, a spokesman for air transport at the ministry, said by telephone.

Australian media reported that hundreds of passengers were stranded at airports on Wednesday, with many airing their complaints on social media.

Bali, which is known for its beaches, mountains and paddy fields, is a popular holiday destination for Australians.