Volcanic ash cloud latest
Monday, 10, May 2010 10:58
Flights are continuing to be rerouted, rescheduled and cancelled following the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano - and further disruption could be imminent if recent images, showing the volcanic activity in the area intensifying, are correct.
If Katla, another active volcano, erupts - as it has the last three times Eyjafjallajökull blew its top - there could be months of disturbance to follow. The town of Vik in Iceland has been covered in a layer of ash, leaving transport difficult and forcing the residents to wear gas masks.
The volcano is now sending ash up to 30,000ft (9,100m), according to the Met Office. The main bulk of the ash cloud is now lying off the north-west coast of the UK, but airspace over western mainland Europe, Ireland and the Atlantic is still unfit for use.
Ryanair have cancelled flights to Kerry, Dublin, Faro and Porto, and easyJet say that there may be further disruption for customers wishing to fly to France, Germany and Austria. BA services to North America in particular have been affected.
BA announced that passenger traffic was down 22.7 per cent on the same month last year due the ash cloud. London airports Heathrow and Stansted only handled 21 per cent of their expected number of passengers for the month.
Spain has been hit especially severely over the weekend; 19 airports were closed, including Barcelona and Zaragoza, and 400 flights were cancelled leaving almost 40,000 people stranded.
The Spanish government said that the cloud could still be causing problems into this week: "We don't rule it out and we will make alternative plans," Transport Minister Jose Blanco told a news conference. Long distance trains and boats have been put on to help those affected.
See the Civil Aviation Authority website for further information.
Travelbite.co.uk staff
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