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Iceland's Volcanic Ash Prompts Flight Cancelations

   VOA News  May 23, 2011
   Smoke plumes from the Grimsvotn volcano, which lies under the
   Vatnajokull glacier, about 120 miles, (200 kilometers) east of
   Rejkjavik, May 23, 2011

Photo: AP

   Smoke plumes from the Grimsvotn volcano, which lies under the
   Vatnajokull glacier, about 120 miles, (200 kilometers) east of
   Rejkjavik, May 23, 2011

   An eruption by Iceland's Grimsvotn volcano has caused some airlines to
   cancel flights over parts of Europe, where clouds of volcanic ash could
   disrupt flights.
   Royal Dutch Airlines KLM announced Monday it is canceling 16 flights to
   Scotland and northern England.
   The Associated Press quotes British Airways officials who say that
   airline is canceling all Tuesday morning flights between London and
   Scotland because of forecasts of volcanic ash in the Scottish air
   space.
   The Icelandic Meteorological Office says the volcano, which lies
   beneath the island's largest glacier, has been shooting plumes of smoke
   at least 11 kilometers into the air since Saturday. Weather officials
   are uncertain of the path of the ash cloud as it drifts across the
   continent, but they expect it to touch Scotland, Ireland and Britain by
   Monday evening or Tuesday.
   They say the cloud could travel as far as Scandinavia, western France
   and Spain by later this week.
   But experts say the impact of the eruption will be far less severe than
   last year's eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokul volcano.
   The eruption of the Eyjafjallajokul volcano in April 2010 produced an
   ash cloud that winds blew toward northern Europe, causing airports in
   the region to ground all planes for several days as a safety
   precaution. Around 100,000 flights were cancelled, and at least 8
   million passengers were stranded worldwide.
   Grimsvotn last erupted in 2004.
   Iceland's aviation authorities say they have shut down the island's
   main airport in the capital, Reykjavik, and may have to close the
   island's other airports. The city has been coated with ash, shutting
   out the daylight and covering buildings and vehicles.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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