Will travelers in North America and elsewhere face serious
disruptions again from a repeat of an Icelandic volcanic eruption
about a year ago that caused the worst peacetime air travel
disruption in history? It's possible but probably not likely,
experts predict.
However, flights between London City airport, Heathrow and
Scotland were cancelled Tuesday morning. There were also
disruptions at other airports. But weather forecasters have
predicted that wind shifts will blow the ash away from British air
space.
The prevailing winds were expected to blow the ash west all
week, meteorologists said.
Because of the wind and the weight of the ash particles, which
will make them drop faster, officials did not expect a repeat of
the widespread disruption of European air traffic in May and April
of last year, when an eruption at another Icelandic volcano
grounded more than 100,000 flights, and also stranded passengers
across Europe.
European Union's transport chief said he did not expect the
Icelandic volcano ash to provoke a widespread closure of
flights.
Siim Kallas noted that this time the volcano, weather and
European response are different than in April 2010, when an
eruption caused chaos.
"We are still looking at a very challenging week for passengers
and for the airlines," said the EU transport commissioner. He
added:
"Although we are partly dependent on the weather and the pattern
of ash dispersion, we do not at this stage anticipate the
widespread airspace closures and the prolonged disruption we saw
last year," he said.
The British Foreign Office said it was "working closely with the
travel industry and Whitehall partners to ensure that air passenger
are given accurate and up-to-date advice" and was "coordinating
closely with EU partners, many of whom have also been
affected".
Forecasters said generally the ash should only be an issue
through Friday.
So far, any flight cancellations are being decided by individual
airlines. Officials suggested passengers check their own scheduled
airlines if they are heading towards European destinations.
Kallas said that Europe has learned its lesson and is now better
prepared to "avoid blanket closure" of airports.
Last year, the plume from a different Icelandic volcano landed
first in Scotland before spreading quickly across Britain and
Ireland, then drifting across most of Europe.
The latest Iceland problem: the eruption of the Grimsvötn
volcano forced US President Barack Obama to cut short his visit to
Ireland.
In all 252 flights have been cancelled today across Europe
because of the volcanic ash, with Heathrow losing 26 services to
and from Scotland, reported the Telegraph.
Glasgow Airport is operating a limited schedule.
Iceland's Met Office said that the force of the eruption beneath
Europe's largest glacier, Vatnajokull, was little changed.
Last year, an eruption at another volcano on the island closed
European airspace for six days, grounding 100,000 flights at a cost
of US$1.7 billion, according to the International Air Transport
Association (IATA).
"What most of the airlines are trying to encourage the
regulators to do this year is to have the exclusion zone around
Iceland," said Michael O'Leary, chief executive officer of Ryanair
Holdings Plc. He predicted "a lot fewer problems this time
around."
"Our No. 1 priority is to ensure the safety of people both
onboard aircraft and on the ground," Andrew Haines, chief executive
of the CAA, said in a statement. He added:
"We can't rule out disruption, but the new arrangements that
have been put in place since last year's ash cloud mean the
aviation sector is better prepared and will help to reduce any
disruption in the event that volcanic ash affects U.K.
airspace."
Iceland, with a population of about 320,000, is one of the
world's most volcanically and geologically active countries with
frequent eruptions.
