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LONDON - An ash cloud from Iceland's spewing volcano halted air traffic across a wide swathe of Europe on Thursday, grounding planes on a scale unseen since the 2001 terror attacks as authorities stopped all flights over Britain, Ireland and the Nordic countries. Thousand of flights were canceled, stranding tens of thousands of passengers, and officials said it was not clear when it would be safe enough to fly again.
In a sobering comment, one scientist in Iceland said the ejection of volcanic ash — and therefore possible disruptions in air travel — could continue for days or even weeks.
With the cloud drifting south and east across Britain, the country's air traffic service banned all non-emergency flights until at least 7 a.m. (2 a.m. EDT) Friday. The move shut down London's five major airports including Heathrow, a major trans-Atlantic hub that handles over 1,200 flights and 180,000 passengers per day.
Irish authorities closed their air space for at least eight hours, and aviation authorities in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland took similar precautions. In France, the aviation authority said Paris' main airport and nearly two dozen others would be closing due to the volcanic ash.
Airlines in the United States were canceling some flights to Europe and delaying others. In Washington, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was working with airlines to try to reroute some flights around the massive ash cloud. Flights from Asia, Africa and the Middle East to Heathrow and other top European hubs were also put on hold.
'Significant threat'
The volcano was sending up smoke and ash that posed "a significant safety threat to aircraft," Britain's National Air Traffic Service said, as visibility is compromised and microscopic debris can get sucked into airplane engines, causing them to shut down.
It was not the first time air traffic has been halted by a volcano, but such widespread disruption has not been seen the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. "There hasn't been a bigger one," said William Voss, president of the U.S.-based Flight Safety Foundation, who praised aviation authorities and Eurocontrol, the European air traffic control organization, for closing down airspace. "This has prevented airliners wondering about, with their engines flaming out along the way."
At Heathrow, passengers milled around, looking at closed check-in desks and gazing up at departure boards listing rows of cancellations.
"It's so ridiculous it is almost amusing," said Cambridge University researcher Rachel Baker, 23, who had planned to meet her American boyfriend in Boston but got no farther than Heathrow.
"I just wish I was on a beach in Mexico," said Ann Cochrane, 58, of Toronto, a passenger stranded in Glasgow.
The National Air Traffic Service said Britain had not halted all flights in its space in living memory, although most flights were grounded after Sept. 11. Heathrow was also closed by fog for two days in 1952.
"The risk to flights depends on a combination of factors — namely whether the volcano keeps behaving the way it has and the weather patterns. We're sitting in the north wind at the moment," he added.
Norway's King Harald V and Queen Sonja — who had planned to fly Thursday to Copenhagen for the Danish queen's 70th birthday — were looking to take a "car, boat or train" after Norway shut its airspace.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36543312/ns/world_news-europe/
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Vatican City State2594 Posts
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Well at least they are taking appropriate action, and not allowing people to fly around, and get hurt.
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being stuck at heathrow is a nightmare. It happened to me when the BA people went on strike. I had to stay the night there before I could get a hotel then was stuck in London for 3 days. I feel sorry for anyone who has to do that.......i doubt they get re-embersed by the airlines since it isnt their fault so you get SOL and stuck in London paying for a hotel + food.
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Swedish news papers are quoting an "expert" saying that this might go on for months or possibly years. That would be pretty huge. Sounds like a worst case scenario though.
I'm flying home to Sweden from Norway in less than two weeks. Hopefully the winds will change, I think winds coming from the south is the most common on Iceland.
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It's quite interesting that this event seems to make some people hate Iceland even more, hopefully this won't be long, but you never know with nature.
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Another blow to the airline industry which is already in ruins.
On the positive side all the airline workers that wanted to strike should strike now. British Airways cabin crew where are you now? Obviously start your dumb strike when everything is ok again.
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On April 16 2010 04:31 Sazchu wrote:
It's quite interesting that this event seems to make some people hate Iceland even more, hopefully this won't be long, but you never know with nature.
Who hates Iceland? Some brits who lost their money to few of your bankers perhaps. Only <3 from other countries.
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On April 16 2010 03:33 Gigaudas wrote:
Swedish news papers are quoting an "expert" saying that this might go on for months or possibly years. That would be pretty huge. Sounds like a worst case scenario though.
I'm flying home to Sweden from Norway in less than two weeks. Hopefully the winds will change, I think winds coming from the south is the most common on Iceland.
Swedish newspapers all suck, never, and i mean nevereverever take what they write too seriously.
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This volcano has not erupted since the 18th century. That time the eruption lasted one and a half year and the 4 following summers were notably colder then usual.
Prepare for the might of nature and taking the boat to America
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On April 16 2010 05:07 Stenstyren wrote:This volcano has not erupted since the 18th century. That time the eruption lasted one and a half year and the 4 following summers were notably colder then usual. Prepare for the might of nature and taking the boat to America
It will spread to USA as well if it goes on for a longer period of time.
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On April 16 2010 04:53 panzerbat wrote:Show nested quote +On April 16 2010 03:33 Gigaudas wrote:
Swedish news papers are quoting an "expert" saying that this might go on for months or possibly years. That would be pretty huge. Sounds like a worst case scenario though.
I'm flying home to Sweden from Norway in less than two weeks. Hopefully the winds will change, I think winds coming from the south is the most common on Iceland. Swedish newspapers all suck, never, and i mean nevereverever take what they write too seriously.
Well, the possibility of a long erruptions seems very real.
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Just spoke to my 2v2 partner, he works as airport security on Arlanda (big airport in sweden, mkay), and sice no flights can leave or land, all they do is drink coffe right now. I wan't his job.
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On April 16 2010 04:53 panzerbat wrote:Show nested quote +On April 16 2010 03:33 Gigaudas wrote:
Swedish news papers are quoting an "expert" saying that this might go on for months or possibly years. That would be pretty huge. Sounds like a worst case scenario though.
I'm flying home to Sweden from Norway in less than two weeks. Hopefully the winds will change, I think winds coming from the south is the most common on Iceland. Swedish newspapers all suck, never, and i mean nevereverever take what they write too seriously.
Yeah, if it's published on "Aftonbladet" and such newspapers, the info should be taken with a grain of salt But it's worth noticing though...it's a pretty major thing after all. With all airports shut down and stuff.
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On April 16 2010 03:33 Gigaudas wrote:
Swedish news papers are quoting an "expert" saying that this might go on for months or possibly years. That would be pretty huge. Sounds like a worst case scenario though.
I'm flying home to Sweden from Norway in less than two weeks. Hopefully the winds will change, I think winds coming from the south is the most common on Iceland.
Just take a bus.
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On April 16 2010 06:44 Zexion wrote:Show nested quote +On April 16 2010 04:53 panzerbat wrote:On April 16 2010 03:33 Gigaudas wrote:
Swedish news papers are quoting an "expert" saying that this might go on for months or possibly years. That would be pretty huge. Sounds like a worst case scenario though.
I'm flying home to Sweden from Norway in less than two weeks. Hopefully the winds will change, I think winds coming from the south is the most common on Iceland. Swedish newspapers all suck, never, and i mean nevereverever take what they write too seriously. Yeah, if it's published on "Aftonbladet" and such newspapers, the info should be taken with a grain of salt But it's worth noticing though...it's a pretty major thing after all. With all airports shut down and stuff.
Never take aftonhoran seriously.
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Earthquakes here there and everywhere and now this, tap on wood time.
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My girlfriend was supposed to come home tomorrow from finland -_- She's gonna be delayed at least two days now.. fuck that
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EPT
