Oh no, another volcano
Airlines have been put on alert after one of Iceland’s biggest volcanoes rumbles to life, threatening a repeat of the 2010 flight-havoc caused by ash clouds from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano resulting in about US$1.7 billion in lost revenue after 100,000 flights were cancelled. Not to be blind sighted and thrown into chaotic disruption this time, European carriers are carefully watching the Bardarbunga volcano after 800 earthquakes in the area raised the risk of an eruption to ‘orange’, the second-highest level. Flights across the North Atlantic, the busiest international travel market, could still be disrupted if ash is spewed from the volcano and wind conditions remain unfavorable, as it can stop turbines by melting and congealing.
Eurocontrol, the region’s air traffic manager, said there is currently no impact on aviation from Bardarbunga, which lies beneath Vatnajokull, Europe’s largest glacier, and last erupted in 1996.
Furthermore, the aviation industry has developed better tools to monitor volcanic clouds since the Eyjafjallajokull eruption, according to a statement from Eurocontrol.
“Europe is more prepared to deal with volcanic ash these days; we have better mechanisms in place than we did in 2010,”
Eurocontrol said.
The Eyjafjallajokull incident stranded 10 million passengers after European officials were forced to close the majority of airspace in the region for 6 days.
From http://karryon.com.au/
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