Iceland Volcano Spewing Ash Chokes Europe Air Travel

Iceland Volcano Spewing Ash Chokes Europe Air Travel

April 15 (Bloomberg) -- European air traffic from Scotland to Scandinavia and the Netherlands was disrupted by volcanic ash spreading from Iceland, shutting airports and prompting British Airways Plc to suspend all domestic flights.

Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports are already closed on advice from U.K. air traffic control, and all London airports will likely shut from midday, airport operator BAA Ltd. said today. Oslo will close its Gardamon airport outside the Norwegian capital from 10 a.m. local time, and Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport canceled dozens of flights.

“Volcanic ash represents a significant safety threat to aircraft,” Taylor Samuelson, a spokeswoman for the U.K. National Air Traffic Services, said in a statement. The number of flights allowed to enter U.K. airspace had been limited because of the cloud of ash, she said.

The volcanic eruption in Iceland is the second in four weeks and prompted the evacuation of the nearby area by more than 800 people as water levels in rivers rose by almost three feet. Iceland straddles mid-Atlantic tectonic plates, making the island of about 300,000 residents geologically active. Volcanic ash can disrupt flights because of the potential risk of engine malfunction and impairment of cabin air quality.

Flight Delays

Ryanair Holdings Plc and EasyJet Plc, Europe’s two biggest discount airlines, both warned of likely disruption because of the ash, while All Nippon Airways Co., Asia’s largest listed carrier by sales, delayed services to London, Paris and Frankfurt. Continental Airlines Inc. may reroute some flights to the U.S. from Europe, according to a statement on its Web site.

British Airways, Europe’s third-largest carrier, said it heeded advice from the National Air Traffic Services by canceling all domestic flights, according to spokeswoman Victoria Martin. All Nippon delayed Europe services by an hour to draw up new flight plans, spokeswoman Megumi Tezuka said.

Deutsche Lufthansa AG has delayed and canceled some flights, with routes to and from the U.K. affected the most, Thomas Jachnow, a spokesman for the German carrier, said.

Emirates, the largest Arab airline, said it had cancelled 10 flights into Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham because of the restrictions. Passengers should check with airlines or airports on travel plans, according to BAA.

Manchester, Gatwick

Manchester Airport said it would suspend flights until 1 p.m. because of the cloud, spokesman Paul Hadfield said. A spokesman for Gatwick Airport, south of the capital, said 89 domestic flights had been cancelled so far today. In Norway, most flights have been cancelled. Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA, Europe’s fourth-largest low-cost carrier, has cancelled more than 100 flights today, spokeswoman Anne-Sissel Skaanvik.

The National Air Traffic Service said officials would meet this morning in London to decide whether it will make a joint policy statement or recommendation. For now, it’s up to airlines to decide whether to operate flights as the volcanic ash from Iceland spreads, she said.

“We shut down most of the airpace yesterday,” said Sindre Aanonsen, spokesman for Avinor, which operates 46 airports in Norway. “Now there is still space open over the eastern parts of Norway but we are strongly considering to shut down that airspace too within a few hours.”

Northern Sweden

In Sweden, four airports in the northern part of the country -- Kiruna, Luleaa, Oestersund and Skellefteaa -- closed this morning, SAS Group spokeswoman Elisabeth Manzi said. Sweden’s main airport, Arlanda in Stockholm, remains open.

“More airports may be cancelled soon, and we don’t know how long this will last,” she said by telephone today. “It’s outside our control.” It is too early to gauge the economic impact of this, she said.

Copenhagen Airports A/S, Scandinavia’s biggest hub, said some 20 flights, all operated by SAS, have been cancelled. The airport expects more cancellations and delays today, spokesman Soeren Hedegaard Nielsen said in a telephone interview.

In Finland, all airport remain open, the country’s aviation authority Finavia Oyj said. The ash from the eruption caused some delays in flights, according to the authority.

source: bloomberg.com