Iceland Volcanic Ash May Halt UK Airspace

[bod]

Britain's airspace could be forced to shut down completely this week after another volcano in Iceland erupted.


Breaking News

5:17pm UK, Sunday May 22, 2011
Iceland Volcanic Ash May Halt UK Airspace

13 Comments

Britain's airspace could be forced to shut down completely this week after another volcano in Iceland erupted, spewing tons of ash into the air.

It could mean a repeat of the massive travel disruption saw last April when much of Western Europe was effectively grounded due to the threat to aircraft engines.

Planes have already been halted on the North Atlantic island and a no fly zone of 120 miles (220km) around the summit is now in place.

Officials say the ash could reach the northern parts of Scotland as early as midday on Tuesday.

And if the eruption continues at the same intensity, it could spread to other parts of the UK, western France and northern Spain by Thursday or Friday.

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[surfbum]

fank feck a never booked a holiday lol

 

[nara]

Iceland Volcanic Ash May Halt UK Airspace

That's a fairly typical example of Sky News journalism.

If you actually read the comments from the experts tucked away at the end of the linked article, you'll find that it's highly unlikely to have any effect on air traffic in UK Airspace.

 

[RAB - P]

NEWSFLASH: Glasgow Airport closed due to massive ash and dust cloud. ...
Celtic Football Club apologise for opening the trophy cabinet.

 

[emarald]

That's a fairly typical example of Sky News journalism.

If you actually read the comments from the experts tucked away at the end of the linked article, you'll find that it's highly unlikely to have any effect on air traffic in UK Airspace.

Tell that to the stranded passangers in Scotland

 

[daveleebond]

Hope it doesn't affect UK airspace since is my little sis's honeymoon in 2 weeks

Don't we have the tech to predict these sort of this now, there seems to be allot of natural disasters these days and us humans seem to be the last to know, like when it actually occurs.

 

[JohnO1234]

Hope it doesn't affect UK airspace since is my little sis's honeymoon in 2 weeks

Don't we have the tech to predict these sort of this now, there seems to be allot of natural disasters these days and us humans seem to be the last to know, like when it actually occurs.

I'm Due to to fly from Bournemouth to Lanzarote on Wednesday next week. Not much hope for me is there!!
well p*ssed off!!!

JohnO

 

[oneman]

Bad news, internal UK flights to Scotland are already being cancelled however UK airspace it NOT closed and its down the airline to make the decision. At the moment BA, Easyjet, Flybe and KLM effected.

Ryanair ordered to stop flights between Ireland and Scotland but are objecting to it.

BBC News - Thousands face volcanic ash cloud flight cancellations

 

[Joe1989]

The airlines may moan and whinge, however parmount over everything SAFTY is the biggest thing for an airline. If that means flights must be grounded for a
few days while the ash cloud pisses off then so be it.

I would not like it if the plane went down due to a failure for ignoring the ash cloud. If someone died as an result of ignorance then there would be an uproar.

 

[IANB]

That's a fairly typical example of Sky News journalism.

If you actually read the comments from the experts tucked away at the end of the linked article, you'll find that it's highly unlikely to have any effect on air traffic in UK Airspace.

Wrong Nara lol Total shutdown of scottish airspace again!!!

 

[nara]

Wrong Nara lol Total shutdown of scottish airspace again!!!

Have you got a link Ian? The last I heard it was the airlines making that decision rather than a shutdown of airspace.

(Reuters) - The British government said on Tuesday that ash from an Icelandic volcano would not lead to the total shutdown of airspace despite the cancellation of dozens of flights to and from Scotland.

"There won't be any shutdowns," Transport Secretary Philip Hammond told BBC radio. "We've moved on to a different way of working, we won't be closing airspace."

 

[IANB]

Have you got a link Ian? The last I heard it was the airlines making that decision rather than a shutdown of airspace.

(Reuters) - The British government said on Tuesday that ash from an Icelandic volcano would not lead to the total shutdown of airspace despite the cancellation of dozens of flights to and from Scotland.

"There won't be any shutdowns," Transport Secretary Philip Hammond told BBC radio. "We've moved on to a different way of working, we won't be closing airspace."

Ryan air tried but were refused permission to take off

http://www.bbc.co.uk/travelnews/air/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13517715

 

[nara]

Thanks Ian. It seems that oneman and myself were technically correct in saying that UK airspace would not be shut down.

Rather than a blanket shutdown they're going on a case by case basis so individual flights need to apply for permission.

This allows them to react more quickly as the cloud moves and disperses.

Ryanair and a few boffins are still arguing that the CAA are being overcautious.

 

[IANB]

Thanks Ian. It seems that oneman and myself were technically correct in saying that UK airspace would not be shut down.

Rather than a blanket shutdown they're going on a case by case basis so individual flights need to apply for permission.

This allows them to react more quickly as the cloud moves and disperses.

Ryanair and a few boffins are still arguing that the CAA are being overcautious.

Got to be safety first although one expert says its unlikely planes would fall out of the sky but more likely engine damage would be the result and it could be an economic nightmare for the airlines.
I dont think it will be as bad as last year though nara as the eruption is subsiding quite quickly.

 

[Jackel]

I'm Due to to fly from Bournemouth to Lanzarote on Wednesday next week. Not much hope for me is there!!
well p*ssed off!!!

JohnO

I think you will be fine, going from Bournemouth mate, mainly Scottish and the North east airports at the minute.

 

[Delster]

Had to drive home to Scotland from London because of the cancellations. Lovely blue skies all the way home. I was expecting at least 6 inches of volcanic dust in the garden...