Removalgroup Reviews Complaints - Iceland Volcanic Ash Travel Delay

Removalgroup Reviews Complaints - Iceland Volcanic Ash Travel Delay, a photo by Removal Group on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Air passengers face delays and cancellations as another volcanic ash cloud threatens travel chaos for those flying to and from Scotland, despite hopes there would not be a repeat of last year's mass groundings across Europe.

Although airports remained open on Tuesday, airlines halted hundreds of flights amid safety concerns at the high density of ash caused by the eruption of the Grímsvötn volcano in Iceland. British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Loganair, Flybe and KLM were among carriers cancelling flights.

However, BMI was still operating out of Edinburgh and Glasgow, saying the ash remained further north than forecast earlier. The airline was constantly reviewing the situation, it said.

There were concerns the cloud would later spread south, affecting flights to northern England and Northern Ireland. Services to and from Derry, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Prestwick, Newcastle, Carlisle, Durham Tees Valley and Cumbernauld airports may be affected by volcanic ash between 1pm and 7pm on Tuesday, air traffic services company Nats said.

Mass cancellations at airports on Tuesday by airlines including easyJet and British Airways are viewed as an operational decision as those companies try to ensure their schedules operate more smoothly once the ash clouds clear. According to the latest forecasts, high density ash could begin to affect southern England by Friday.

Under a change in UK-wide policies, airlines can request licences to fly through high ash concentrations providing they make a sufficient safety case.

Under previous guidelines, aircraft were summarily grounded if there was any volcanic ash in the air. Airlines can now fly through ash plumes if they can demonstrate their fleets can handle medium- or high-level densities of ash.

The Grimsvötn volcano began erupting at the weekend, causing flight cancellations at Keflavik airport after it sent a plume of ash 12 miles into the air.