New ash cloud worry for travellers

23/05/2011

By Kevin Dixon

Travellers are bracing themselves for potential disruption following another volcanic eruption in Iceland.

The Grimsvotn volcano spewed a huge plume of smoke 12 miles into the air after its largest eruption in 100 years. Last year, the eruption at Eyjafjallajokull grounded flights across the UK and Europe, causing a major headache for travellers and costing carriers billions of pounds.

However, the Met Office is not expecting a similar scenario this time around.

A spokesman for their Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, said: "This is a very different situation to last April. The weather is much more changeable and there's a lot more uncertainty.

"There's no risk of the ash moving across the UK in the next day or so. But there is a possibility that we'll see some volcanic ash towards the end of the week."

Icelandic air traffic control created a no-fly zone around the volcano, closed Keflavik airport, the country's main hub, and cancelled all domestic flights.

But the eruption has not affected UK airspace.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said: "We're monitoring the situation closely and working with our colleagues at NATS (National Air Traffic Services) and the Met Office."