Justin Joseph
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Passengers stranded across Europe as volcano blows
By Rachael Brown in London and wires
Updated 25 minutes ago
No-fly zones as Iceland volcano erupts
A huge plume of drifting ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland has disrupted air traffic across much of northern and western Europe, stranding tens of thousands of air passengers.
The entire airspace in the UK, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and Sweden is closed, there are partial closures in France, and Finland has closed all airports except Helsinki-Vantaa. Flights to and from Australia have been cancelled, and thousands of other Europe-bound passengers from Asia and the United States have been left stranded.
The volcano began erupting on Wednesday (local time) for the second time in a month from below the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in the south of Iceland, and an Icelandic volcanologist said on Thursday the eruption was growing more intense.
It is estimated that between 4,000 and 5,000 flights were affected on Thursday as grey ash blew across the Atlantic, closing major airports more than 1,700 kilometres away.
Volcanic ash contains tiny particles of glass and pulverised rock, which can melt in plane engines, causing a loss of power.
A number of flights between Australia and the UK have been cancelled or delayed due to the volcanic ash.
Qantas says two arrivals from the UK to Australia have been cancelled, while it is expecting another five departures to be delayed. British Airways has cancelled two departures for Australia and two arrivals from Australia scheduled for later today.
It is the first time in living memory that a natural disaster has caused such a halt, a spokeswoman for Britain's National Air Traffic Service (NATS) says.
Meteorologists say the ash will dissipate as it travels over northern Europe and Russia.
But John Strickland, director of air transport consultancy JLS Consulting, sees possible broader hazards.
"Iceland sits right on one of the key routes between Europe and the USA and... depending on meteorological conditions it could also affect flights from Europe to Asia, so there are two big international flows which could be affected by this," he said.
The European air safety organisation says the disruption, the biggest seen in the region, could last another two days, and a leading volcano expert says the ash could present intermittent problems to air traffic for six months if the eruption continues.
Even if the disruption is short lived, the financial impact on airlines could be significant, a consultant said.
The International Air Transport Association had said only days ago airlines were slowly coming out of recession.
The Association of British Insurers said volcanic eruptions were not always covered by travel insurance for cancellation and delay. But some airlines issued statements confirming they would refund fares or change flights.
Stranded passenger Andy Evans says airline staff at Stansted airport, north-east of London, told customers it could be closed until Sunday.
"People just don't know what to do," he said. "There are hundreds of people in the queues at the sales desks."
A spokesman at Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, said 840 out of 1,250 flights on Thursday were affected, disrupting about 180,000 passengers.
More than 120,000 other passengers were affected at Gatwick, Stansted and Glasgow airports.
Scientists say the ash does not pose any health threat because it is at such a high altitude.
One consolation for stranded commuters is that there will be a vibrant sunset and purple moon, as the ash particles scatter the sunlight.
Passengers stranded across Europe as volcano blows - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
By Rachael Brown in London and wires
Updated 25 minutes ago
No-fly zones as Iceland volcano erupts
A huge plume of drifting ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland has disrupted air traffic across much of northern and western Europe, stranding tens of thousands of air passengers.
The entire airspace in the UK, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and Sweden is closed, there are partial closures in France, and Finland has closed all airports except Helsinki-Vantaa. Flights to and from Australia have been cancelled, and thousands of other Europe-bound passengers from Asia and the United States have been left stranded.
The volcano began erupting on Wednesday (local time) for the second time in a month from below the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in the south of Iceland, and an Icelandic volcanologist said on Thursday the eruption was growing more intense.
It is estimated that between 4,000 and 5,000 flights were affected on Thursday as grey ash blew across the Atlantic, closing major airports more than 1,700 kilometres away.
Volcanic ash contains tiny particles of glass and pulverised rock, which can melt in plane engines, causing a loss of power.
A number of flights between Australia and the UK have been cancelled or delayed due to the volcanic ash.
Qantas says two arrivals from the UK to Australia have been cancelled, while it is expecting another five departures to be delayed. British Airways has cancelled two departures for Australia and two arrivals from Australia scheduled for later today.
It is the first time in living memory that a natural disaster has caused such a halt, a spokeswoman for Britain's National Air Traffic Service (NATS) says.
Meteorologists say the ash will dissipate as it travels over northern Europe and Russia.
But John Strickland, director of air transport consultancy JLS Consulting, sees possible broader hazards.
"Iceland sits right on one of the key routes between Europe and the USA and... depending on meteorological conditions it could also affect flights from Europe to Asia, so there are two big international flows which could be affected by this," he said.
The European air safety organisation says the disruption, the biggest seen in the region, could last another two days, and a leading volcano expert says the ash could present intermittent problems to air traffic for six months if the eruption continues.
Even if the disruption is short lived, the financial impact on airlines could be significant, a consultant said.
The International Air Transport Association had said only days ago airlines were slowly coming out of recession.
The Association of British Insurers said volcanic eruptions were not always covered by travel insurance for cancellation and delay. But some airlines issued statements confirming they would refund fares or change flights.
Stranded passenger Andy Evans says airline staff at Stansted airport, north-east of London, told customers it could be closed until Sunday.
"People just don't know what to do," he said. "There are hundreds of people in the queues at the sales desks."
A spokesman at Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, said 840 out of 1,250 flights on Thursday were affected, disrupting about 180,000 passengers.
More than 120,000 other passengers were affected at Gatwick, Stansted and Glasgow airports.
Scientists say the ash does not pose any health threat because it is at such a high altitude.
One consolation for stranded commuters is that there will be a vibrant sunset and purple moon, as the ash particles scatter the sunlight.
Passengers stranded across Europe as volcano blows - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
