Thousands of foreign tourists are leaving Bali by plane today following a nearly three-day airport shutdown sparked by a rumbling volcano on the Indonesian holiday island. <br/><br/>The alert level on Mount Agung remains at maximum, but a change in wind direction blew towering columns of ash and smoke away from the airport, prompting authorities to re-open the island's main international gateway yesterday.<br/><br/>The move opened an eagerly awaited window for some of the 120,000 tourists stranded after the surge in volcanic activity grounded hundreds of flights, sparking travel chaos and forcing the evacuation of villagers living in its shadow. <br/><br/>Ash is dangerous for planes as it makes runways slippery and can be sucked into their engines. <br/><br/>Authorities said, more than 4,500 people have now flown out of Bali's main airport, with around 3,200 of them on international flights.<br/>