UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
The UK has shut down its airspace effective 12 Noon (7am ET) due to ash from a volcano erupting in Iceland. Norway, Sweden, Finland have also halted flights due to the massive ash cloud, which is moving south. As the cloud moves later today, Amsterdam may also close, along with French and Russian airports and probably other countries in between.
This could seriously screw stuff up. The last time this volcano erupted, in 1821, it lasted two years. Imagine if northern Europe is cut off for even a week, or a month, or longer...
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
I'm supposed to fly to England tonight, but doesn't look like that's going to happen.
The UK's airspace is closed until at least 0700L (UK time) tomorrow and it's looking like that will be extended further. All other countries around Europe have been closing their airspace through tomorrow afternoon, and the longer this volcano activity lasts, the longer they will remain closed... Crazy!
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
It' the same mess for us in France, no takeoff from Paris until tomorrow 10 AM.
Michel
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
Interesting article on the history of this volcano and what could come in the near future. The worst may be to come:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/w ... 070239.ece
Quote:
Iceland is preparing for an even more powerful and potentially destructive volcano after a small eruption at the weekend shot red-hot molten lava high into the sky.
About 500 people were safely evacuated from the land close to the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which is around 120 kilometres (75 miles) southeast of the capital, Reykjavik. The country's two airports were closed for most of the day and transatlantic flights re-routed to avoid the risk of ash blocking visibility and destroying engines.
After circling the spectacular eruption in a Civil Defence aircraft, Freymodur Sigmundsson, a geophysicist, concluded that the immediate danger was receding and that the lava was flowing along a one kilometre-long fissure.
The original fear was that the volcano had erupted directly underneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, which could have caused glacial melt, flooding and mudslides. Instead, the volcano blew inbetween Eyjafjallajokull and the larger Myrdalsjoekull glacier.
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However, the danger is that the small volcano is just the beginning and that it will trigger the far more powerful volcano of Katla, which nestles beneath Myrdalsjoekull.
“That has to be on the table at the moment," Dave McGarvie, senior lecturer at the Volcano Dynamics Group of the Open University, said. “And it is a much nastier piece of work.”
Icelanders agree. "This could trigger Katla, which is a vicious volcano that could cause both local and global damage," Pall Einarsson, from the University of Iceland, said.
Tremors around Eyjafjallajokull were first recorded in early March, but precise prediction of volcanic eruption is difficult, even with the high-tech equipment available to Icelandic geologists.
Now that it has happened the only basis for prediction is history — and that does not look good.
"Eyjafjallajokull has blown three times in the past thousand years," Dr McGarvie told The Times, "in 920AD, in 1612 and between 1821 and 1823. Each time it set off Katla." The likelihood of Katla blowing could become clear "in a few weeks or a few months", he said.
Iceland is built on a volcanic rock on the Atlantic's mid-oceanic ridge and it has grown used to eruptions. The southern village of Vik, close to the current eruption, has for centuries had an escape plan in which everybody runs up to the church, which is built on high ground. They know that if Katla erupts flooding will follow.
The island's worst eruption in modern times was in 1783, when the Laki volcano blew its top. The lava shot to heights of 1.4 kilometres and more than 120 million tonnes of sulphur dioxide was released into the atmosphere.
A quarter of the island's population died in the resulting famine and it transformed the world, creating Britain's notorious "sand summer", casting a toxic cloud over Prague, playing havoc with harvests in France — sometimes seen as a contributory factor in the French Revolution — and changing the climate so dramatically that New Jersey recorded its largest snowfall and Egypt one of its most enduring droughts.
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
Here is a European Airport Update as of 1500L/1900Z Thur 4-15
(Note, only includes airports US serves as our OCC is my source.)
DUB LHR LGW MAN all closed until at least 0600Z 16 April
CDG will close at 2100Z and hope to reopen at 0800Z 16 April
BRU closed until 1000Z 16 April
AMS closed until 0800Z 16 April
FRA and MUC are reported open, not closed YET !
BCN MAD FCO ZRH are all open and not expected to have any problems tonight.
The only Eastbound US transatlantic flights US is planning to operate tonight are
PHL-MAD PHL-FCO A330-300
PHL-BCN 767-200
Regards
LGA777
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
They've begun extending the closure times. As you can see if you check out the updated NYCA link above, the forecast map does not show any improvement between now and tomorrow afternoon.
UK airspace closed at least until 1pm local.
Denmark and Sweden closed at least until noon.
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
I hope maybe we can get some unusual aircraft out of this!
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
One station reported that it is the biggest closure of airspace since 9/11. I'm hearing reports of flights
being cancelled for days. And since this is considered an "act of God" the airlines are under no obligation
to put passengers up in hotels. They are esssentialy on their own.
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
I never share much with regard to my job but this volcano stuff certainly makes work interesting!!
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5 flights from the US to Europe had departed but were turned around. One was a Continental flight out of Houston that got as far as Canada when it was turned back to Houston. A true flight to no where.
Hopefully this clears up by July. :lol: My wife and I are heading to Italy. :D
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil D.
I never share much with regard to my job but this volcano stuff certainly makes work interesting!!
Tell me about it... I've been sitting here on crew-rest waiting to go to England... Doesn't look like we're going anywhere anytime soon though... Glad I'm not a planner at TACC for this event!
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
With air restrictions over the northern UK expected to be lifted this evening, BA just announced it will operate 6 flights from US to Scotland rather than LHR overnight. Ground transport will move passengers from Scotland to London.
* BA174 From New York (JFK) - Arriving in Glasgow (GLA)
* BA176 From New York (JFK) - Arriving in Prestwick (PIK)
* BA182 From New York (JFK) - Arriving in Glasgow (GLA)
* BA194 From New York (EWR) - Arriving in Prestwick (PIK)
* BA284 From San Francisco (SFO) - Arriving in Glasgow (GLA)
* BA268 From Los Angeles (LAX) - Arriving in Prestwick (PIK)
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
LH made it out late last night around 1800 or so only 8 hours late and Air France overnighted aswell here in SEA
Re: UK + Northern Europe Airspace Shut Down Due to Volcanic Ash
It appears the eruptions have become a more severe in the past few hours and that combined with a wind shift things over Europe are projected to get worse. Here is the latest "Ash Map" put out by the UK Met Office:
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/aviation...1271463398.png
