AN ICELANDIC volcano has erupted again, although for now flights to and from Cyprus remain unaffected.
Late yesterday, Hermes Airports were anticipating the cancellation of one charter flight from Glasgow, however all other flights from Larnaca and Paphos airports until late today were on schedule.
Hermes Airport PR Manager Adamos Aspris said last night: “Currently we are not affected by ash clouds, and any prediction made by the competent authorities, such as the Meteorological office in London, last 24 hours.”
Asked whether the eruption of the Grímsvotn volcano could affect Cypriot air traffic, Aspris said: “This depends on how the ash will expand, and if, for example, it spreads out to cover Norway, Sweden or the United Kingdom – we do have a number of flights to these countries.”
However Aspris said that even if this does happen, passengers may be unaffected if the density of the cloud is low.
He said: “There are many elements that the airlines and authorities will take into account.”
Yesterday evening, German daily’s Der Spiegel reported that the ash cloud was moving towards the German coast, and was expected to arrive late last night.
Deputy head of European air traffic authority Eurocontrol, Brian Flynn said yesterday that Scotland and Northern Ireland were now largely covered by the ash cloud, and more than 250 flights to and from these areas had already been cancelled.
A Eurocontrol statement added that if the eruption continued with the same intensity the cloud could reach the west of France and the north of Spain on Thursday.
The density of volcanic particulates in the cloud was reported to range from 0.2 to two milligrams per cubic metre.
At this level, flights are only possible under special supervision, according to the Britain’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre.
When ash cloud particulates exceed two milligrams per cubic metre, flights must be grounded unless both engine and plane manufacturers state it is safe to fly.
Irish airline Ryanair, which runs regular flights to Cyprus, performed a test flight through Scottish airspace with what regulators say contains “high ash concentration” in a bid to show there was no danger from a volcanic eruption in Iceland.
The one-hour flight from Glasgow to Inverness, Aberdeen and then Edinburgh reaching 41,000 feet through areas designated by the Civil Aviation Authority as a “red zone” of high ash concentration.
“There was no visible volcanic ash cloud or any other presence of volcanic ash and the post flight inspection revealed no evidence of volcanic ash on the airframe, wings or engines,” the statement said.
“Ryanair’s verification flight this morning also confirms that the ‘red zone’ over Scotland is non-existent,” it said.
Ryanair said it had received written confirmation from both its airframe and engine manufacturers that it is safe to operate in areas designated “red zones”.
“Two thousand kilometres south of Iceland there is almost no presence of volcanic ash in the atmosphere because it is dissipating,” said Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary.
