Sunday, May 22, 2011

Iceland Volcano Shuts Island’s Airspace


A volcanic eruption under Europe's largest glacier, Vatnajokull, forced the closure of the main international airport in Iceland, the second disruption in 13 months to the island nation's air traffic.
The eruption sent an ash plume more than 17 kilometers (10.5 miles) into the air, causing delays today of some Scandinavian trans-Atlantic flights. "We expect the ash cloud to enter Norwegian airspace over the course of the night," said Jens Petter Duestad, chief of control centers for Norwegian airport operator Avinor.
Iceland's Keflavik International Airport was shut down this morning amid fears that the ash plume might damage jet engines. The halt grounded 11 airplanes in Iceland, affecting about 2,000 passengers. Another 13 airplanes will be unable to land in the country.

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