The EU civil aviation authorities, including Malta’s, have been put on a state of alert by the European Commission as a fresh volcanic ash eruption in Iceland looks as if it may disrupt aviation in the coming days.
The Commission said there was a possibility of volcanic ash from the Grimsvötn volcano affecting European airspace, starting with northwest Europe, including the UK and Ireland.
“The European Aviation Crisis Coordination Cell (EACCC) has already been activated, bringing together all the major actors and the first formal meeting took place on Monday morning,” the Commission said in a statement late yesterday.
Although it is too early to predict a repeat of last year’s complete six-day halt of European airspace due to an eruption of another Icelandic volcano, the Commission is not taking any chances. It is trying to ensure that what happened last year will not be repeated even though this volcano is bigger than the one which erupted last year and is more active.
Commission vice president Siim Kallas said the situation was evolving by the hour. “What is clear is that one year on lessons have been learnt and we are in a much better position to manage the challenge of ash affecting Europe,” he said.
“As the situation evolves, this may still prove to be a very challenging week for passengers and the aviation sector, but there are new tools in place that allow for a more precise risk assessment to avoid, in so far as possible, closure of European airspace whilst ensuring safety,” he added.
The Grimsvötn volcano started erupting late on Saturday and on Monday rose to between eight and 12 kilometres, according to Eurocontrol, the Brussels-based body that coordinates air traffic.
The main airport in Iceland was closed yesterday due to the ash cloud, while Scotland was also preparing to close its air space.
AFP reported experts saying that the ash from the ongoing eruption appears coarser than the very fine ash from last year’s blast, and should therefore not travel as far.
European air traffic controllers in Brussels said yesterday they did not expect any further airspace closures due to the ash until the end of today.
France’s junior transport secretary Thierry Mariani warned that if the ash does reach Europe, “flights will be cancelled.”