Airlines grounded hundreds of flights Tuesday after a plume of ash from a volcano in Iceland blanketed Britain and touched Scandinavia in a fresh travel nightmare for thousands of passengers. Barely a year after a similar eruption in Iceland forced the biggest closure of European airspace since World War II, British Airways was the first to suspend flights from London to Scotland.
Dutch airline KLM, Ireland’s Aer Lingus and budget airline easyJet followed suit, while air traffic authorities warned disruption from the Grimsvoetn volcano could spread to airports in northern England and Northern Ireland. “Most airlines have cancelled flights today — 252 flights,” said Brian Flynn, head of operations at the Brussels-based Eurocontrol.
Low-cost airline Ryanair however flew a plane through Scottish airspace and said they detected no ash on the aircraft, hitting out at British and Irish authorities for over-reacting. The ash cloud also caused minor air traffic disruption in Norway and closed a small part of Denmark’s airspace, and Eurocontrol warned that the ash cloud could continue southwards to France and Spain.
Authorities say the ash can damage planes and stop engines. The growing chaos threatens planning for events ranging from the G8 summit to the Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United which takes place at London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
