"Volcanic ash from the eruption of the Puyehue Cordon Caulle volcano in Chile continues to cause flight disruptions to the Qantas network," the airline said in a statement.

"At Qantas safety is our first priority and a number of flights have been canceled or rerouted to avoid the volcanic ash cloud."

Qantas and Jetstar suspended Wednesday flights to and from Queenstown, Christchurch and Wellington.

Qantas flights between Sydney and Buenos Aires are delayed.

The June 4 eruption of the volcano in the Chilean Andes mountains sent plumes of smoke more than six miles into the air.

The ash cloud forced the shutdown of flights in and out of several Australian cities last week.

Chile is on the so-called "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines circling the Pacific Basic that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.