Airlines on alert as volcano erupts
No immediate threat to French flights, but civil aviation body is keeping a close eye on Icelandic ash cloud
AIR traffic authorities say there is no immediate threat to flights in France following this weekend's volcanic eruption in Iceland.
Initial predictions sent to airlines yesterday showed the ash cloud reaching the UK today or tomorrow and western France on Thursday, if the eruption continued at the same intensity, prompting concerns of a repeat of last year's air traffic chaos.
The country's most active volcano, Grimsvoetn, erupted on Saturday, sending smoke and ash more than 10km into the sky. More than 100,000 flights were cancelled last April and eight million passengers affected when nearby Eyjafjöll erupted.
According to the Icelandic authorities, the eruption appears to have calmed down slightly overnight, and the wind this morning is blowing the clouds to the north, away from the continent. The ash also appears to be falling to the ground quicker than last year's eruption.
European air safety body Eurocontrol says it is not expecting any problems with flights in Europe in the next 24 hours.
However, French civil aviation authority DGAC says it is keeping a close eye on the situation and is in constant contact with airlines. It said it was ready to "react fast" should the eruption intensify or the wind direction change.
Ecology minister Nathalie Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said the government had not "ruled out the consequences" of further air traffic disruption, however she said it was too early to tell as "every eruption is different".
