Heathrow, Gatwick, and other airports disrupted

by Sean McLachlan on

A large cloud of ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano is sweeping across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, shutting down airports all across the islands.

Heathrow and Gatwick were closed until 7am local time and have been operating on a limited capacity with numerous delays and cancellations. This morning Gatwick had the strange situation of being able to allow planes to take off, but its approach path, which was closer to the ash cloud, was closed and no flights were able to land.

Airports also faced disruptions in parts of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and the Isle of Man. Rail services are adding extra trains to deal with stranded air passengers. Currently only Belfast City, Londonderry, Shetland, and Orkney airports are closed, but most other airports in the region are still trying to catch up after numerous delays and cancellations.

As the cloud continues to move south and east, it may cause disruptions on mainland Europe. Amsterdam’s Schiphol, Rotterdam, and Groningen airports in The Netherlands are closed until at least 2pm local time.

The Met Office, a UK weather predicting service, is predicting the winds over Iceland and the North Atlantic will shift to a more easterly direction in the coming days, blowing the ash up into the arctic regions and away from more populated areas. They have created maps showing the predicted spread of the cloud.

Here comes the ash again!

by Sean McLachlan on

Airports in parts of Northern Ireland have shut down due to the latest ash cloud from Iceland’s infamous Eyjafjallajökull volcano. The main airport affected is Belfast, which will remain closed until at least 1pm local time. Ronaldsway airport on the Isle of Man is also closed.

A large cloud of ash is headed southeast from Iceland and is predicted to affect airports across the UK and the Republic of Ireland on Monday and Tuesday. If winds continue as predicted, the cloud should be out of UK airspace by Wednesday, but of course the winds could always shift back towards the UK and with the eruption showing no signs of abating, travelers could be in for another major headache.

The UK’s Met Office has produced a handy and somewhat depressing series of charts predicting the movement of the ash cloud.

Meanwhile, vulcanologist Dr. Dougal Jerram from Durham University said Eyjafjallajökull could keep erupting for several months. Vulcanologists are also worried about Eyjafjallajökull’s sister volcano Katla, which is much bigger than Eyjafjallajökull and usually erupts within a year of Eyjafjallajökull erupting.

Travelers should have figured out by this point to check ahead before going to the airport, but it bears repeating.

Europe breathes sigh of relief as ash cloud moves west

by Sean McLachlan on

Shifting weather patterns brought good news to northwest Europe this morning as a new ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull blew west out into the Northern Atlantic.

The new eruption had produced a cloud of ash that caused temporary airport closures in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and some parts of the Scotland and England since Monday. Most airports reopened in the early hours of this morning and at the time of writing all airports were operating normally.

The volcano continues to erupt and aviation officials are monitoring the weather for any changes. Travelers flying to Ireland or the United Kingdom are advised to check ahead before going to the airport.

More flight cancellations in Ireland and Scotland

by Sean McLachlan on

Those hoping that yesterday’s closure of airports in Ireland and parts of Scotland would only be a one-day affair were disappointed when the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull came back with renewed strength.

Glasgow, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, and numerous smaller airports have closed, and the Civil Aviation Authority says northern England may also be affected. Officials added that airports further south, such as Heathrow and Gatwick, will probably escape for now.

Airplanes are not only forbidden to fly through thick concentrations of volcanic ash, but must also stay more than 60 nautical miles (69 terrestrial miles) away from them.

Officials say the ash will be thickest over Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and western Scotland all of today.

The last time Eyjafjallajökull erupted was 1821, when it ejected clouds of ash on and off for more than a year.

Icelandic volcano disrupts flights again

by Sean McLachlan on

Irish airline operators had a bad case of déjà-vu this morning when a cloud of ash from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull swept over the Emerald Isle and grounded all flights. The Outer Hebrides islands of Scotland were also affected. Flights in the rest of the UK operated normally.

The Irish Aviation Authority canceled all flights in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland starting at 7am local time and allowed them to resume at 1pm local time. The few small airports affected in the Hebrides also plan to reopen sometime in the afternoon.

The ash cloud only reached about 20,000 feet so flights crossing Irish airspace at cruising altitude were not affected. The cloud was thin and sparse compared with the massive one that grounded flights for six days last month. It thinned out to safe levels by the afternoon, prompting aviation officials to reopen service.