Ash clouds cause more travel chaos
Ash clouds from an erupting volcano in Chile are expected to bring chaos to travel in Australia for at least another 48 hours.
Virgin Atlantic said it was monitoring the situation after sister airline Virgin Australia cancelled flights today.
Qantas also said it was reviewing its long-haul services after cancelling all domestic flights into and out of Sydney and Melbourne today. Its budget airline Jetsar also cancelled flights from Sydney.
Qantas also grounded Canberra flights and it said it may also have to reduce flights to and from Melbourne. Adelaide airport has been shut.
Tiger Airways cancelled all its Australia domestic flights today due to the ash cloud, which is circling the earth for a second time, getting denser and larger than the first time round.
Last week some airlines, including Virgin Australia, flew below and around the ash cloud but this week the plume is too low for airlines to fly under it as it is hovering at between 20,000 and 30,000 feet.
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025