Volcanic Ash Disrupts European Flights

The engines of jet planes can shut down due to volcanic ash. More than 17,000 flights have been canceled all across the continent of Europe, most of them in the United Kingdom, as a result of volcanic ash that has drifted over mainland Europe from a volcanic eruption that occurred in Reykjavik, Iceland. The eruption began on March 20th, blasted a hole in the ice, and created a huge cloud of smoke and ash that went all over Europe. Some of the busiest airports in Europe, especially London's Heathrow and Paris were forced to close down. Britain's air traffic authority, NATS disclosed that most of the airspace of the United Kingdom was closed, only exempting emergency flights, until Saturday morning. Other countries to follow suit were Ireland, Sweden, Norway, France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands.

It is believed that it would take at least 48 hours for the airspace to clear off, but Matthew Watson, geophysicist at England's Bristol University said, "It is hard to predict how long it will be before air travel can resume. You really need two things to happen, you need the volcano to stop emplacing ash to the altitude that commercial aircraft fly at, 30 - 35,000 feet, and you then need the upper level winds to blow the ash and disperse it out of the airspace. How long that will take depends very much on the volcano. If this is it and it's stopped right now and it doesn't do anything else. I imagine you are looking at 24 to 48 hours to clear UK airspace." Manchester Airport spokesman Russell Craig said, "The ash wasn't necessarily visible in the air, but it can still pose a threat to aircraft. If you think about the way an aircraft engine works, it sucks in air, it compresses it, forces it out on the other side. That creates thrust. If that air were mixed with ash, it can cause engine failure and electrical difficulties with an aircraft. It's happened before, and the aircraft didn't come out the other end in one piece." Captain Bob Jones, Civil Aviation Authority, said, "Britain will not reopen its airspace until the threat was gone. It very much depends on the location of the ash, but needless to say, we're taking extreme caution."

There are nearly 350 flights to and fro the US and Europe daily, and on Thursday itself, more than 165 were canceled. Flights to and fro Asia were also affected, and likewise for the Gulf region.

The US Air Force shut down 2 of its air force bases in England, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, for 2 days at least. This resulted in the cancellation of the flights of US Air Force F-15s, other fighter jets and tankers. Flights to Afghanistan and Iraq flying through that airspace were also being diverted through other routes.

The volcano also caused flash floods from the glacier, and nearby people had to be evacuated. The volcano is continuing to erupt and spew volcanic ash as we speak.