Threat of ash disruption hangs over US flights

TRANSATLANTIC flights from the United States to Ireland and the rest of Europe could be affected this weekend by the increased volcanic ash plume that is hovering over the Atlantic Ocean.

Met Éireann has also warned there is still potential for Irish airspace to be closed again next week and that intending passengers should continue to regularly check their airline’s website. Last night, all Irish airspace was open but aviation chiefs warned that long-haul flights from the US were at greatest risk. The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) confirmed the giant plume from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano covered an area of the Atlantic Ocean of about 2,011 kilometres long and 1,200km wide.

Flights have been diverted around the cloud, which could stretch from Iceland to the tip of northern Spain by today, but a wind change from a north-westerly direction to north-easterly could push the ash over mainland Europe. “If the wind… moves in a north-easterly direction we are in trouble, not just in Ireland and the UK but also northern Europe,” the IAA said.

The Government Taskforce on Emergency Planning met yesterday and announced that over the next few days the plume should stay largely clear of Irish airspace as it had moved south-westwards. According to the taskforce, neither the HSE nor the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have detected any health or environmental effects from the plume. The taskforce is due to meet again on Monday at 10am.

Six airports on the western half of the country – Galway, Kerry, Knock, Shannon, Sligo and Donegal – re-opened yesterday morning after flights were suspended for a time because of the ash. More intensive ash eruptions took place on Thursday night. Last month the Icelandic volcanic caused travel chaos, with airspace over several European nations forced to close. It was the biggest aerial shutdown in Europe since World War II, with more than 100,000 flights cancelled and eight million passengers affected. The airline industry said it lost some €2.5 billion.