Icelandic Volcano Causes Air Travel Woes

A volcano in Iceland, near the Eyjafjallajokull (try saying that three times fast) glacier, has created a volcanic ash cloud that is moving east towards Northwestern European countries, causing air traffic delays for approximately 3000 flights across Europe. According to Eurocontrol, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, “Based on the guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organisation normal air traffic control services cannot be provided to flights in airspaces affected by volcanic ash. Therefore several air navigation service providers have issued notifications to airlines requiring the temporary suspension of air traffic. These suspensions are being put in place via air traffic flow management restrictions being implemented by the CFMU. At present most air traffic in the north of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden is suspended. These restrictions will be extended to cover the southern United Kingdom area in the coming hours.”