Volcanic ash grounds European flights

[Batman1980]

Airline passengers are facing massive disruption across the UK after an ash cloud from a volcanic eruption in Iceland grounded planes.

In Scotland, all airports are shut and there is disruption at many others including Manchester, Liverpool, Stansted, Newcastle and Birmingham.

The Air Traffic Control Service (Nats) imposed restrictions after the Met Office warned ash could damage engines.

Passengers are being advised to contact their airlines prior to travel.

Experts have warned that the tiny particles of rock, glass and sand contained in the ash cloud would be sufficient to jam aircraft engines.

'Significant disruption'

Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports were shut as Nats said it was restricting flights "in accordance with international civil aviation policy".

The ash cloud disrupted all flights to and from Manchester with a similar picture at Newcastle airport where all arrivals were cancelled and all outbound flights either cancelled or subject to indefinite delay.

Liverpool's John Lennon airport suspended all flights until at least 1300BST.

British Airways said it had cancelled all domestic flights for the whole of Thursday, which affected flights at London's Gatwick, Heathrow and City airports.

Birmingham airport warned of severe disruption with about 90% of flights cancelled, and there were problems reported at East Midlands, Leeds Bradford, Cardiff and Bristol.

Most flights were suspended at Belfast International Airport and George Best Belfast City Airport, with some in and out of Dublin airport also hit.

A Nats spokesman said: "The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre has issued a forecast that the ash cloud from the volcanic eruption in Iceland will track over Europe tonight.

"Nats is working with Eurocontrol and our colleagues in Europe's other air navigation service providers to take the appropriate action to ensure safety in accordance with international aviation policy."

Engines shut

The European air safety body, Eurocontrol, said the cloud of ash had reached 55,000ft and was expected to move through northern UK and Scotland by 1300BST.

Brian Flynn, assistant head of operations of its central flow management unit, told the BBC: "As it moves toward the Netherlands and Belgium it will dissipate and lose intensity, like any weather phenomenon. But we don't know what the extent of it will be."

Further south, five easyJet flights due to depart from Stansted airport in Essex were cancelled, along with all northbound flights from Southampton and Newquay airports.

Bournemouth airport grounded a flight to Dublin but said all other departures were on schedule.

Met Office forecaster Philip Avery said the ash could take several days to clear.

He said: "It is showing up on imagery at the moment, extending down as far as the Faroes but it looks as though the wind will drag it a good deal further south.

"Nats has good cause to be very cautious about this because in about 1982 a British Airways jumbo had the unnerving experience of having all four engines shut down as it flew through a plume of volcanic ash."

There was a nearly identical incident on 15 December 1989 when KLM Flight 867, a B747-400 from Amsterdam to Anchorage, Alaska, flew into the plume of the erupting Mount Redoubt, causing all four engines to fail.

Once the flight cleared the ash cloud, the crew was able to restart each engine and then make a safe landing at Anchorage, but the aircraft was substantially damaged.

A BAA spokesman said: "Passengers intending to fly today are asked to contact their airline for further information and should expect disruption in the coming hours.

The Royal Air Force has confirmed it will maintain its search and rescue operations.

A spokesman said: "We will continue to provide full search and rescue cover, however we will consider all requests we get on a case by case basis.

"The ash is mainly affecting the air traffic control radar but we can fly in cloud and reduced visibility.

The eruption under a glacier in the Eyjafjallajoekull area of Iceland is the second in the country in less than a month.

A Nats spokesperson said the volcano was still erupting.

Source - BBC News
There are no words, simply .

[lucv13]

Interesting - my Daughter's boyfriend is flying to France on Saturday...

[Beefbowl]

suppose to hit my area around noon..guess we'll see what happens.

[Dexter Morgan]

The ash is from Eyjafjallajokull volcano. Any clue on a pronunciation?

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by Blu Atlas

The ash is from Eyjafjallajokull volcano. Any clue on a pronunciation?

ABC News: How to Pronounce Eyjafjallajokull

[Suntory_Times]

Originally Posted by PrivatePixel

ABC News: How to Pronounce Eyjafjallajokull

lol, how do you pronounce fyat or kutl?

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by Suntory_Times

lol, how do you pronounce fyat or kutl?

The pronunciation of fyat is fiat (think of the automobile manufacturer). Kutl is the more challenging of the two, and the phonetic spelling doesn't help much: try coot-l (without placing any emphasis on the letter 'l'). The translator enunciates the word at the 0:40 second mark in the video link.

This is how I deconstructed the pronunciation:
aye-ya-fiat-la-yo-coot-l (the last letter, 'l', is almost inaudible)

[Rob Hunter]

my sister is still stuck in spain, the ferrys are ram packed to get out and charging rediclus rates, i feel for her as they have also been kicked out of there hotel when they went back it was full
poor sister

[Dexter Morgan]

Originally Posted by Mad Macca

my sister is still stuck in spain, the ferrys are ram packed to get out and charging rediclus rates, i feel for her as they have also been kicked out of there hotel when they went back it was full
poor sister

Sorry to hear that. I'm sure it's a huge mess with the majority of flights cancelled. I actually just made it back here by about two days, or else I'd be there with a one year old.

[Rob Hunter]

Originally Posted by Blu Atlas

Sorry to hear that. I'm sure it's a huge mess with the majority of flights cancelled. I actually just made it back here by about two days, or else I'd be there with a one year old.

oo your lucky

i really feel for her though she was very upset but she gets like that over little things lol

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by Mad Macca

my sister is still stuck in spain, the ferrys are ram packed to get out and charging rediclus rates, i feel for her as they have also been kicked out of there hotel when they went back it was full
poor sister

Where in Spain, heard the government were sending two Royal Navy carriers to pick up stranded people from Spain.

[Crimson King]

I heard that if Yellowstone erupted it would be a super volcano and the entire US would be covered in ash. That to me sounds impossible, but I'm not a scientist.

[Rob Hunter]

Originally Posted by Maximus

Where in Spain, heard the government were sending two Royal Navy carriers to pick up stranded people from Spain.

i think flights are running now

[Foggy]

Volcano's are cool, they stop teachers from getting back to school

[My_Two_Cents]

Some pretty impressive pictures here.

[PrivatePixel]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

Some pretty impressive pictures here.

Nice find. Pics 1, 34 and 35 were the most striking.

Iceland = next Hawaii.

[Fightertown]

My wife and I were fortunate and only had a 24 hour delay in Amsterdam. The volcano errupted towards the end of our trip. We did miss Northern Ireland but spent most of the time travelling back to Holland.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

Some pretty impressive pictures here.

Quite stunning photos