Thousands of passengers were grounded today as the Chilean ash cloud returned to Australia, forcing the cancellation of flights to Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. The cloud, created by the eruption of the Puyehue volcano high in the Andes more than two weeks ago, has made its way back to wreak havoc again. Airservices Australia said the ash cloud is denser and larger than that which caused widespread disruption to flights last week, adding that it was hovering between 20,000 and 40,000 feet. Qantas suspended services to and from the South Australian capital Adelaide as well as Canberra, and will halt flights to Sydney from 3 pm today. Jetstar has also called off Adelaide and Sydney flights while Tiger Airways grounded its entire fleet, with services around the country on hold until at least 2 pm. Virgin, meanwhile, suspended flights to Adelaide and Canberra, with routes to major hubs Sydney and Melbourne not flying from 4 pm, with the disruption expected to spill into tomorrow. So far Qantas has grounded 73 domestic flights and six to New Zealand.