Volcano Grounds Saturday Flights
Posted April 17, 2010 11:38 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Volcanic ash from Iceland is canceling flights across Europe for a third straight day.
The huge cloud of ash is passing across the U.K., Scandinavia, Poland, northern France, Austria and it looks like it’s headed for Russia. It’s traveling at approximately 40 km/h in a south/southeast direction.
The volcano erupted Friday, building up a cloud which now reaches from the Atlantic to Moscow and from the Arctic Circle to Bulgaria.
Aviation experts say the eruption has caused the worst travel disruption Europe has seen since the Second World War.
Austria, Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland shut down all or most of their airspace.
Air Canada advised travelers that flights to and from London, Paris and Frankfurt were canceled until further notice. The International Air Transport Association said these shutdowns were costing the airlines more that U.S. $200 million a day.
At Pearson Airport, countless European flights have been canceled. Prime Minister Stephen Harper had planned on attending the state funeral of Polish president Lech Kaczynski and his wife on Sunday. But he has now cancelled the trip, due to widening airspace restrictions. U.S. President Barack Obama has also cancelled his plans to attend.
A senior Polish presidential aide said the funeral will go ahead, despite the country closing its air space.
Canadian soldiers are feeling the effects of the global problem. About 200 troops set to deploy to Afghanistan on Friday have been stuck at CFB Petawawa, waiting for the go-ahead.
With Files From The Canadian Press
