Iceland’s Grimsvotn Volcano EruptsPlumes of ash from a volcano in Iceland will likely enter U.K. airspace on Tuesday, potentially grounding flights across the country, aviation experts have warned.
The eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano has already caused disruption in Iceland, with the country’s main airport outside Reykjavik having been closed since Sunday.
The U.K.’s Met office predicted that a cloud of ash would cover Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern Britain by Tuesday morning, prompting the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to warn of potential disruptions to flights.
“Our number one priority is to ensure the safety of people both onboard aircraft and on the ground,” said Andrew Haines, chief executive of the CAA in a statement.
“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.”
Europe was struck by travel chaos for six days in April last year following the eruption of a different Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull. Airlines were forced to pay millions of dollars in compensation to stranded passengers, many of whom were forced to sleep on the floors of airports.
The cloud from Grimsvotn is expected to spread across a wide arc from northern Russia to the U.K. However, there were signs that the disruption may not be as intense as last year’s eruption.
“It is not likely to be anything on the scale that was produced last year when the Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted,” Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland told the Associated Press.
“That was an unusual volcano, an unusual ash size distribution and unusual weather pattern, which all conspired together to make life difficult in Europe.”
U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to fly into the U.K. from Ireland on Tuesday morning. Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a speech in Brussels that a blanket ban would not be an automatic solution.
The eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano has already caused disruption in Iceland, with the country’s main airport outside Reykjavik having been closed since Sunday.
The U.K.’s Met office predicted that a cloud of ash would cover Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern Britain by Tuesday morning, prompting the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to warn of potential disruptions to flights.
“Our number one priority is to ensure the safety of people both onboard aircraft and on the ground,” said Andrew Haines, chief executive of the CAA in a statement.
“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.”
Europe was struck by travel chaos for six days in April last year following the eruption of a different Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull. Airlines were forced to pay millions of dollars in compensation to stranded passengers, many of whom were forced to sleep on the floors of airports.
The cloud from Grimsvotn is expected to spread across a wide arc from northern Russia to the U.K. However, there were signs that the disruption may not be as intense as last year’s eruption.
“It is not likely to be anything on the scale that was produced last year when the Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted,” Pall Einarsson, a geophysicist at the University of Iceland told the Associated Press.
“That was an unusual volcano, an unusual ash size distribution and unusual weather pattern, which all conspired together to make life difficult in Europe.”
U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to fly into the U.K. from Ireland on Tuesday morning. Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a speech in Brussels that a blanket ban would not be an automatic solution.
“I think we are far better prepared and we'll have far better information and intelligence which allows us to adjust things without necessarily the blanket bans on flights which we saw last year, but of course it depends on how the situation develops,” he said.
The CAA said in an advisory on Monday that areas of high, medium, and low-density ash would be identified and the information provided to airlines. Those wishing to operate in medium and high density would need to have a “safety case” approved by the agency, including details from manufacturers on the ability of aircraft to fly through ash.
“Many airlines already have such safety cases in place and agreed for medium density,” the advisory said. “None has so far submitted a safety case to operate in high density ash.”
The CAA said in an advisory on Monday that areas of high, medium, and low-density ash would be identified and the information provided to airlines. Those wishing to operate in medium and high density would need to have a “safety case” approved by the agency, including details from manufacturers on the ability of aircraft to fly through ash.
“Many airlines already have such safety cases in place and agreed for medium density,” the advisory said. “None has so far submitted a safety case to operate in high density ash.”
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