2011-05-23

By Deborah Ritchie

Fears of travel disruption are growing as ash from Iceland’s Grimsvötn volcano, which erupted Saturday, drifts towards Europe. Icelandic aviation authorities quickly closed the country's main airports and flight restrictions were was implemented up to 220km around the eruption site that morning.

The news comes a year after the nearby Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted, causing pandemonium after aviation regulators closed about 80% per cent of European airspace during Easter.

Iceland’s most active Volcano, Grimsvötn spewed ash 16km into the atmosphere, and heading towards Europe - the impact of which is as yet unclear.

The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, EUROCONTROL, said yesterday that there was at that stage no impact on European or transatlantic flights, and that they expected the situation to remain thus for the next 24 hours. Aircraft operators, they added, are constantly being kept informed of the evolving situation.

This morning, they reiterated that no significant impact is expected today on flights as a result of the eruption.

However, the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) in London says, depending on the continuing eruption of the volcano and the meteorological conditions, there is a risk that some ash cloud may reach parts of northern Europe in the next 48 hours.

Last year, ash from an eruption at Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland forced European airspace to close to six days, leaving 10 million passengers stranded in airports globally.

The next air traffic update is scheduled to be issued this afternoon.

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