Chaos as volcanic ash cloud closes airports
LONDON – Travellers flying into and out of many European airports face cancellations and chaos as the fallout from a volcanic eruption in Iceland drifts over the north of the continent.
A spokesman for the UK’s National Air Traffic Service has told the BBC its airspace restriction was the worst in living memory, and that it was “very unlikely that the situation over England will improve in the foreseeable future”.
The restrictions will not be lifted before 1200 GMT on Friday at the earliest, which is likely to mean that the disruption for passengers will continue over the weekend.
The move silenced Heathrow airport, the world’s second busiest, and stranded tens of thousands of passengers around the world.
The Republic of Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands and Finland all later shut down their airspace entirely, while there was also major disruption in France, Germany, Poland and Spain.
France has shut down 24 airports in the north of the country, including the main hub of Paris-Charles de Gaulle, while Germany’s Berlin and Hamburg airports were also closed on Thursday evening.
The Norwegian and Belgian authorities said their airspace would remain closed for most of Friday. Half of all transatlantic flights are expected to be cancelled.
The volcano beneath the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier began erupting on Wednesday for the second time in a month, hurling a plume of ash 11km into the atmosphere.
Eurocontrol spokesman Brian Flynn said the extent of the disruption was “greater than we’ve ever seen before in the EU” and warned that the problem could persist for a further 48 hours.
Experts have warned that the tiny particles of rock, glass and sand contained in the volcanic ash cloud could be sufficient to jam aircraft engines.
Ian Jarrett
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