Flights Halted, Airports Closed: Volcano Ash Creates Travel Chaos Across Europe
It seems that travel chaos across the globe will continue for some more days as the ash coming out from a volcano in Iceland is spreading farther across northern and central Europe.
Many flights have been canceled to prevent damages to jet engines due to the ash.
Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific has closed its online check-in for flights to northern Europe and has asked its passengers not to travel to Europe until next month, beacuse they have no vacant seats. “Even after the ash cloud eventually dissipates for flights to resume, serious congestions are expected at airports and on air routes across Europe during the initial stage, which means that it would take time for services to Europe to resume normal,” the airline said in a statement.
Most of Europe’s major airports have been closed and thousands of flights had been canceled since the vast, high-altitude plume of volcanic ash started disrupting flights on Thursday. “I’ve never seen such chaos,” said a 35-year-old passenger.
Aviation authorities said that air-traffic conditions are unlikely to get normal in next two days and it is feared that the situation could get worse in coming days. Meanwhile, London-based Volcanic Ash Advisory Center has said that there was still “significant eruption continuing” with “episodic” plumes of ash rising to as high 24,000 feet.
The World Health Organization has asked people with respiratory problems to “limit their activities outdoors or stay indoors” if ash started falling from the sky.
A WHO spokesman, Dan Epstein, said though there were no apparent health risks if the ash would remain in the upper atmosphere, but it might create health complications such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis after reaching at the ground.
