Trans-Atlantic Flight Disruptions Continue:

Eyjafjallajokul Smoking Yet

Disaster-weariness aside, Iceland's Eyjafjallajokul volcano continues its long eruption, a 2,000 kilometers ash and smoke cloud forcing cancellation of trans-Atlantic flights.

 

 

The Associated Press (AP) reports low-level ash clouds are floating towards Spain and the south of France, necessitating airline rerouting north of Greenland and over north Africa.

 

Though not as wide-spread as last month's spate of flight cancellations, more than 100,000 at their height, nineteen airports in Spain, including the Barcelona hub, shut down Saturday. Portugal too canceled nearly 700 flights as of 11 am local time this morning.

 

Eyjafjallajokul (pronounced ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) began erupting April 13th, and its location beneath a glacier means great jets of super-heated water vapour increase the amount and altitude of material ejected, thus posing the risk to especially jet powered aircraft.

 

Rerouting flights has meant hundreds of kilometers added to flights between Europe and North America.