Volcanic Eruption In Iceland, Uk Flights Cancelled, Some Airports Closed

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Good year for a staycation methinks

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Here we go again.....

 

[Robot Chicken]

Wait until Katla blows!

 

[lighthouse]

Wait until Katla blows!

sounds like a girl I should meet!!

 

[gruntage]

Currently stuck in Valencia. Flight this morning was cancelled, so had to rebook for tomorrow morning. Back on the beers for me.

 

[surrey jim]

BBC News - Volcano ash cloud delays hit Heathrow and Gatwick

Passengers using Britain's busiest airports face major disruption after the return to UK airspace of the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano.
Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports resumed limited flights after being completely closed until 0700 BST.
But flights remain grounded in Northern Ireland and much of Scotland and Wales.
Passengers are being urged to check with their airlines before travelling. Restrictions are expected in parts of the UK until Tuesday.
In the Netherlands, Amsterdam's Schiphol, Rotterdam and Groningen airports are closed until 1400 local time (1300 BST).
Flights in and out of Dublin, in the Irish Republic, are also grounded until at least noon.
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond told the BBC the government and airline industry were working together to allow more flights to operate while there was ash in the atmosphere.

Nats Director Ian Hall: Gatwick planes "can depart but not land" (volcano video 11 May)

A spokesman for air traffic authority Nats said Gatwick was due to be closed to arrivals until 1300 BST and departures would be subject to restrictions.
"One side of the airport is clear and the other side, where the final approach track is, actually has a cloud of ash which goes right across final approach," said Nats director Ian Hall.
"So, very frustratingly for everyone, we can't get the aircraft into Gatwick but we can get them out."
Eurocontrol, the European air safety body, said Heathrow arrivals would be limited to 30 an hour initially - down from the usual 42 - and it warned of significant delays.
Knock-on disruption was likely to continue throughout Monday, a Heathrow spokesman said.
Other developments across the UK include:
• All flights in and out of Northern Ireland's three main airports have been cancelled until lunchtime. The Irish Aviation Authority has temporarily closed airports in Dublin, Sligo and Donegal.
• In Scotland no flights are arriving at or departing from Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Prestwick airports. Inverness, Dundee, Wick and Campbeltown airports are also closed until lunchtime.
• In Wales flights in and out of Cardiff airport have been cancelled until early afternoon.
The Department of Transport has warned restrictions are likely across different parts of the UK until at least Tuesday. Meanwhile Network Rail pledged to do everything possible to help stranded travellers make journeys by train.
Virgin Trains said 7,000 extra seats would be made available on Monday, mainly on routes between Birmingham and Glasgow and Edinburgh, and between London Euston and Glasgow.
Eurostar is also laying on extra services through the Channel Tunnel.
The latest dense patch of ash has already disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of people over the weekend, mainly in northern parts of the UK.
Airspace over Northern Ireland was the first to close on Saturday, before the cloud moved south and grounded flights in many parts of the UK on Sunday.
Ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano has led to thousands of flights being delayed or cancelled across Europe since April. After airports were closed for six days last month, the CAA eased restrictions by raising the threshhold level of ash in the atmosphere that forces a ban.
But after the latest airport closures this weekend, airlines have criticised the amended regulations.
On Sunday, Virgin Atlantic president Sir Richard Branson called the closure of Manchester airport "beyond a joke".
"All the test flights by airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers have shown no evidence that airlines could not continue to fly completely safely," he said.
Higher threshold?
British Airways said airlines should be able to decide whether it was safe to fly, as the current approach was "overly restrictive".
But Mr Hammond said: "The threshold at which air is considered unsafe to fly through has already increased 10-fold from a 200-microgram limit to a 2,000-microgram limit, and that was agreed with the airlines after the last period of closure. "Work is ongoing with the airlines, with the aircraft manufacturers, with the engine manufacturers, to see if a safe operating regime could be introduced at a yet higher threshold of ash, with enhanced, more regular engine inspections."
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We are not there yet but we are optimistic that progress will be made and that, of course, would have a very significant impact on the level of disruption that the continuing volcanic eruption is having on UK airspace."
CAA chief executive Andrew Haines said: "It's the CAA's job to ensure the public is kept safe by ensuring safety decisions are based on scientific and engineering evidence; we will not listen to those who effectively say, 'Let's suck it and see.'"

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

'kin scaremongering, I'm off on my hols this Thursday, from Gatwick, feel very sure this will quite literally have blown over by then!

 

[Cheshire Cat]

The northern airports are reopened. Something large and noisy just went overhead

The CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) reopened airspace across Northern England last night from 01:00.

Manchester Airport therefore reopened at 01:00 and will continue to be fully operational unless there is a further deterioration in conditions.

It remains essential for people to contact their airline before travelling to the airport for any flight because there are still high levels of ash contamination above parts of the UK which may bring further disruption during the morning.

Airports in the South East, parts of Scotland and Ireland, Paris and Amsterdam remain subject to some restrictions which means flights to and from these areas will be disrupted this morning. Some transatlantic services are also affected this morning.

There is absolutely no official suggestion or predication that the prolonged, continent-wide airspace restrictions experienced in April are about to occur again.

We would once again like to thank passengers for their continued patience and understanding since this situation began yesterday.

http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/

 

[Springal]

flying from Gatwick, on BA on Wednesday... might just concede defeat and get a train (only going to Manchester)

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Just back from Vegas no delays, lucky I feel