# UK Shuts Down Airspace Due to Icelandic Volcano Activities



## Ucla95 (Jul 23, 2004)

*Dust Cloud*

Probably going to cause me to miss my pickup! Last ED my flight over had to dump all our fuel and make an emergency landing in Newark. Got my car 5 days late that time. (of course it's far more important and I thank G-d every day that we survived that one) Let's see if I hit the over or under on that this time around...!


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## mason (Jun 8, 2006)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8621407.stm

Guys, Check with your carrier especially if you connecting at Heathrow. France and German airports may also consider shut down.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

http://www.nats.co.uk/



> Statement on Icelandic volcanic eruption: Thurs April 15, 09:30
> From midday today until at least 6pm, there will be no flights permitted in UK controlled airspace other than emergency situations. This has been applied in accordance with international civil aviation policy. We continue to monitor the situation with the Met Office and work closely with airline customers and adjoining countries. We will review the situation later today to understand what further action will be required.* It is very unlikely that the situation over England will improve in the foreseeable future.*


Best to check even if your flight doesn't transit the UK.


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## Yay-Z (Aug 13, 2007)

uh oh, im suppose to go this Saturday


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

*UK airspace now closed to 16 April*

http://www.nats.co.uk/



> Statement on Icelandic volcanic eruption: Thurs April 15, 14:00
> 
> The cloud of volcanic ash is now spread across the UK and continuing to travel south. In line with international civil aviation policy, no flights other than agreed emergencies are currently permitted in UK controlled airspace. Following a review of the latest Met Office information, NATS advises that these *restrictions will remain in place in UK controlled airspace until 0700 tomorrow, Friday 16 April, at the earliest.* We will review further Met Office information and at 2000 today (local) we will advise the arrangements that will be in place through to 1300 tomorrow.
> 
> We continue to work closely with airports, airlines, and the rest of Europe to understand and mitigate the implications of the volcanic eruption.


Others as reported by BBC news:

Sweden (total closure by 2000 GMT)

Denmark (total by 1600 GMT)

Finland (northern airspace closed till 1200 GMT Friday)

Belgium (total from 1430 GMT)

Netherlands (being shut progressively)
Current expectations are that air traffic to and from the Netherlands will come to a complete standstill after 19.00 hours this evening.

From the ground here in North Wales it is not much to look at. Just a little overcast.


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## mason (Jun 8, 2006)

Ironically, Iceland airport is not close since the volcano dust shot so high in the sky that it doesn't affect flights incoming and outgoing of Iceland. It affects flights at cruising altitude.


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## fermat1313 (Jan 23, 2010)

> It is very unlikely that the situation over England will improve in the foreseeable future.


I'm really wondering what they mean as "foreseeable future". I'm flying into Amsterdam on April 30 for my ED. Sure hope this will be cleared up by then.

I really feel bad for the 'festers who affected by this.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

fermat1313 said:


> I'm really wondering what they mean as "foreseeable future". I'm flying into Amsterdam on April 30 for my ED. Sure hope this will be cleared up by then.
> 
> I really feel bad for the 'festers who affected by this.


Just listened to an interview with the people making the decision.

Next update is due at 8pm British Summer Time. Short term, an extension of the closure is likely. Long term, more than a day or two out is very uncertain. In part it depends on if a second nearby volcano also erupts and makes a major dust plume.

A research aircraft is currently investigating the edge of the plume.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

Update from BBC News:


Airspace closed:
UK
Republic of Ireland
Norway
Partial or planned closures:
Sweden (total closure by 2000 GMT)
Denmark (total by 1600 GMT)
Finland (northern airspace closed till 1200 GMT Friday)
Belgium (total from 1430 GMT)
Netherlands (being shut progressively)
France (northern airports by 2100 GMT)


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## e.biemold (Jul 11, 2003)

Airspace in the Netherlands has been closed 1,5 hours ago.


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## mason (Jun 8, 2006)

Andrew*Debbie said:


> Update from BBC News:
> 
> Airspace closed:
> UK
> ...


Is Paris considered 'Northern'......... I think 'foreseeable future' means the next day or two. I hope it doesn't get any worse. I heard someone on Bloomberg TV this morning that Iceland does have a history that a volcano erupted for 2 years straight. I hope that doesn't happen. :eeps:


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

Ucla95 said:


> Probably going to cause me to miss my pickup! Last ED my flight over had to dump all our fuel and make an emergency landing in Newark. Got my car 5 days late that time. (of course it's far more important and I thank G-d every day that we survived that one) Let's see if I hit the over or under on that this time around...!


*NOTE TO SELF*... STFA from the travel date of this loser going forward....


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## MSY-MSP (Aug 14, 2009)

Not to add fuel to the fire here, but here is some information i have been give with respect to the volcano and air travel disruptions.

Pretty much all the normal North Atlantic crossing air routes have all been shut down for the foreseeable future. What they are looking at doing is moving a number of the European flights down to the southern part of the Atlantic crossing. These are the routes that come in over Spain/Azores. The problem with this crossing is that it pushes the limits on some of the aircraft that make these flights. Also the winds are not as favorable down there and thus flight times get messed up. 

These disruptions are expected to last for several days if not a few weeks. 

From some other folks that i know at USGS they believe that this eruption will last for a while. Hopefully not two years like a previous one, but for a while. They said that because the eruption point moved there is likely a lot more magma built up that needs to get out.

If you are connecting in London or Amsterdam i would expect the cancellations to continue for quite some time. Paris most likely as well. Depending on winds Frankfurt should get back online soon

I just hope that it clears out by July.


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## starkraven (Mar 19, 2010)

Well, this is quite the bummer. Damn you, Iceland, with your bankrupt government and your volcanic eruptions! 

I'm scheduled to fly through Heathrow on May 2. I'll keep my fingers crossed that things clear up quickly.


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## DXK (Jun 1, 2007)

Prime example of how seemingly awful things for most will benefit some: my wife wanted to spend a weekend in Paris - now I have an excuse!


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

mason said:


> Is Paris considered 'Northern'


Latest I've heard is that several smaller airports in the north part of France are already closed.

CDG (Paris) is currently open but expected to close later tonight.

Tonight's sunset is a bit redder then average but nothing remarkable. I'm a few hundred miles north of London.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

*sunset*

Quick photos out the home office window. Not a great shot of the subdivision behind our house, but gives an idea of the moderate change the dust has made to the sky.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

*Closures now until 1PM Friday at the Earliest*

Latest update from NATS:



> The cloud of volcanic ash continues to cover much of the UK. Following a review of the latest Met Office information, NATS advises that restrictions will remain in place in UK controlled airspace until 1300 (UK time) tomorrow, Friday 16 April, at the earliest.
> 
> However, flights from Northern Ireland and the Western Isles of Scotland to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Prestwick may be allowed in the period from 0100 (UK time) to 1300 (UK time) tomorrow subject to individual co-ordination. North Atlantic traffic to and from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Prestwick and Belfast may also be allowed in the period.
> 
> We will review further Met Office information and at 0230 (UK time) tomorrow we will advise the arrangements that will be in place through to 1800 (UK time) tomorrow. However be aware that the situation cannot be said to be improving with any certainty as the forecast affected area appears to be closing in from east to west. We continue to work closely with airports, airlines, and the rest of Europe to understand and mitigate the implications of the volcanic eruption.


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## Yay-Z (Aug 13, 2007)

MSY-MSP said:


> Not to add fuel to the fire here, but here is some information i have been give with respect to the volcano and air travel disruptions.
> 
> Pretty much all the normal North Atlantic crossing air routes have all been shut down for the foreseeable future. What they are looking at doing is moving a number of the European flights down to the southern part of the Atlantic crossing. These are the routes that come in over Spain/Azores. The problem with this crossing is that it pushes the limits on some of the aircraft that make these flights. Also the winds are not as favorable down there and thus flight times get messed up.
> 
> ...


Dangit!! Im going through BA leaving saturday from houston arriving sunday. It looks like its going to be interesting this weekend


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## starkraven (Mar 19, 2010)

Yay-Z said:


> Dangit!! Im going through BA leaving saturday from houston arriving sunday. It looks like its going to be interesting this weekend


Wow, good luck on your journey, and keep us posted on your travails.


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## starkraven (Mar 19, 2010)

UK flights held until Saturday at 0700. NATS will release another advisement at 2030 today.


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## mason (Jun 8, 2006)

New closure: Hungary @ 1700 GMT, Switzerland @2200 GMT, Romania @ 0000 GMT Saturday.

Austria closes at 1600 GMT; England remain close until 0600 GMT tomorrow.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8623534.stm


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

Ryan Air has canceled all flights until 1PM Monday at the earliest.



> Ryanair, today (Fri 16th April) confirmed that based on current meteorological forecasts, and the continuing emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere over Iceland, it has decided to cancel all scheduled flights to/from the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, Northern France, Northern Germany, Poland and the Baltic States until 1300hrs on Mon 19 April. This advice is based on the current stable weather trends which continue to blow potentially dangerous volcanic ash across the British Isles, Scandinavia and the Northern European coastline.


Debbie is stranded in Granada


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

JSpira said:


> That may not be a problem - no one is arriving to take the rooms either.


Hotel where Debbie is staying is fully booked. They won't let her stay. No one is leaving and some guests are arriving.


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## starkraven (Mar 19, 2010)

From NATS:



> From 1900 (UK time) today ATC restrictions will be lifted in a large part of Scottish airspace including Scottish airports, Shetland, Orkneys and also Northern Ireland. On this basis, North Atlantic traffic can also operate to/from points in this airspace. Please note these arrangements do not mean that all flights will operate. Anyone hoping to travel today or tomorrow should contact their airline before going to the airport.


No word as to whether this will make a real impact to ED participants.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

starkraven said:


> From NATS:
> 
> No word as to whether this will make a real impact to ED participants.


Eurostar is fully booked. Last reports say ferries still have some space available.


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## mason (Jun 8, 2006)

Andrew*Debbie said:


> Eurostar is fully booked. Last reports say ferries still have some space available.


I see the report too, Eurostar also says "please don't come to the station, if you don't have a confirmed ticket."

It would be quite a ride, say if someone stuck in London and try to get to Munich. Eurostar > TGV, that's about 9 hours on the train.


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## Yay-Z (Aug 13, 2007)

I just checked online and it looks like my flight tomorrow evening was cancelled . Still trying to get BA on the phone, so I can see what options I have.

Now its changed to Awaiting update. WTH is going on???


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

I'm here on the West Coast at a conference. One of the other attendees was on possibly the last flight out of Heathrow. He said they kept the plane on the tarmac for 45 min. while trying to work with the European air traffic controllers for a routing around the ash cloud and then to the U.S. The flight path turned out to be just south of Land's End and then a loop to the NW to avoid the ash which was moving E and SE. Only one attendee did not make it--he was stranded in Brussels.

UPDATE:

The _NY Times _is now tracking airport closings on its website here. The current list ranges from Trondheim in the N to Lyon and Munich in the S; Belfast in the W to Warsaw in the E.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

The NY Times has a good interactive chart on the status of various airports.

It looks like many will reopen on 17.4.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

*UK airspace now closed until 1AM Sunday at the earliest*

Cloud has drifted north. Research aircraft have confirmed the air cloud is unsafe for commercial flights.

From NATS:



> The volcanic ash cloud from Iceland is moving around and changing shape. Based on the latest information from the Met Office, NATS advises that the *restrictions currently in place across UK controlled airspace will remain in place until at least 0100 (UK time) tomorrow, Sunday 18 April.*
> 
> We are looking for opportunities when the ash cloud moves sufficiently for us to make some airspace available within Scotland and Northern Ireland, which may enable some domestic flights to operate under individual coordination with ATC; we will be coordinating this closely with airlines and airports. It is most unlikely that many flights will operate today and anyone hoping to travel should contact their airline before travelling to the airport.
> 
> We will continue to monitor Met Office information and review our arrangements in line with that. We will advise further arrangements at approximately 1500 (UK time).


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

Likely this will go on for at least several more days.


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## Ucla95 (Jul 23, 2004)

Follow AshAlerts on twitter. You'll see that KLM just flew a test flight into the cloud and reported no problems. The CEO of KLM was even onboard to prove a point, he believes that the fear is overdone and that planes can fly safely after all.


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## mason (Jun 8, 2006)

Did it fly into a cloud or ash? Big difference.......

By the way, my wife has just cancelled her business trip to Essen. She has colleagues stranded all over the places. This is her second international trip cancelled this year due to Mother Nature.


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

Ucla95 said:


> Follow AshAlerts on twitter. You'll see that KLM just flew a test flight into the cloud and reported no problems. The CEO of KLM was even onboard to prove a point, he believes that the fear is overdone and that planes can fly safely after all.


That is unlikely to happen in UK airspace where a research aircraft determined the cloud is unsafe to fly in.

Lufthansa has also flown a test flight. After inspecting the engines for damage, both airlines are hoping to be given permission to operate in Europe. While news reports said the KLM flight was operating at a lower altitude than usual that is not what KLM posted:

http://www.klm.com/travel/gb_en/prepare_for_travel/up_to_date/flight_update/index.htm


> *Test flight*
> 
> Saturday KLM has got authorisation of the Inspectie voor Verkeer en Waterstaat to make a test flight in Dutch airspace. If the quality of the atmosphere is satisfactory to fly safe, KLM hopes to get passengers to their destination as soon as possible. This was announced this afternoon by president and CEO of KLM, Peter Hartman at a press conference. The test flight will be carried out at the beginning of the evening. Results are expected later in the evening. Peter Hartman will be on board as an observer.
> 
> ...


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## MSY-MSP (Aug 14, 2009)

Sorry folks for not posting in a while. I was away at a wedding in Chicago this weekend and wasn't around a computer. I spoke with my friend who flew the last United flight that arrived in Munich last week before the airspace was shut down. From what he has been told is that United (at least) is not going to try and do anything with respect to much of Europe until at least Thursday of this week. There is talk of trying to get some of the aircraft back to the US on Wednesday, but they aren't sure. 

So based on what i am hearing it is likely that disruptions will continue for a while. Also i am hearing a few things with regards to how the airlines are going be handling the large numbers of passengers who have been left hanging from this event. First, United is looking at adding a number of extra flights to various cities just to move folks around once the air clears. There is talk of adding flights from the US to other airports in London (where they can get a slot) once the air is good to go. This will cause a number of disruptions to the domestic side of the operations, if this plan goes forward. Second, a number of airlines are going to prioritize passengers for flights once service restarts. From what i have been told is that once things resume if you were originally scheduled on that flight for that day it does not mean that you will actually be able to take that flight. If you are in the middle of your trip you are more than likely still going to get on the flight. However, if you are just starting your trip you likely are going to find yourself in limbo as to whether you are going to get out. The prioritization is going first to stranded passengers and not to persons starting their journey. This makes sense given how long people have been stuck in places and how long it is going to take to get them all back to where they belong. If the airlines just used unsold seats on their resumed schedules it would take roughly 2-3 weeks after this restarts to get everyone back. The thinking behind this is that if you are just starting the inconvience is far less than if you are trying to get home and running out of money. now please note what i am saying is still in the planning stages and may or may not come to pass. (The airlines are still trying to figure out how to handle this, and realize that this restart will most likely not be like the 9-11 restart (people cancelling later flights)).

If i find out any more i will pass on the information. Though if you are trying to get out for your ED in the next week or so i would look at using Rome as your airport


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Lufthansa has already stated they will give stranded/travelling passengers priority over those just starting a trip. This was announced over the weekend, I believe. Other airlines have discussed similar policies.


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## MSY-MSP (Aug 14, 2009)

JSpira said:


> Lufthansa has already stated they will give stranded/travelling passengers priority over those just starting a trip. This was announced over the weekend, I believe. Other airlines have discussed similar policies.


I read that too. However, I thought that was with respect to rebooking after your flight was cancelled. What is interesting about what i heard was that they are considering applying this to passengers who were starting their trip and confirmed on that specific flight. (i.e. booked well in advance of this mess, but got lucky in that the flight was flying that day).


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## e.biemold (Jul 11, 2003)

In the engine of an F-16 that is stationed in Europe they found glass in the engine. The glass was made out of dust from the volcano.


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## erdoran (Feb 29, 2008)

Flights are beginning to resume to and from Munich...there is a flight to Cairo boarding now from Munich. It may not be as bleak as it has been sounding for those of you with EDs coming up....keep an eye on the Munich airport web page and the news!


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