The Iceland Volcano Thread

LookingFor

Closure of airspace over england and wales extended to 7am tomorrow.

Limited operations in northern airspace (Scotland, NI) and opportunities for selective operations out of Newcastle.

Restrictions on Manchester have been reapplied after a few flights this morning.

The cloud of volcanic ash continues to move south through the UK and the eruption in Iceland continues.

Following a review of the latest Met Office information, NATS advises that restrictions preventing flights in controlled airspace over England and Wales will remain in place until 0700 (UK time) tomorrow, Saturday 17 April, at the earliest. 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.

We are looking for opportunities when the ash cloud moves sufficient for us to enable some flights to operate under individual coordination with ATC. Some aircraft were able to operate at Manchester this morning, although restrictions are now reapplied to Manchester.

We hope there may be some opportunity from the north into Newcastle after 0100 (UK time) tomorrow - Saturday. We will review further Met Office information and at 2030 (UK time) we will advise further arrangements. In general, the situation is dynamic and subject to change.

We continue to work closely with airports, airlines, and the rest of Europe to understand and mitigate the implications of the volcanic eruption.

They're pretty much following the VAAC models precisely. It was pretty easy to predict a reclosure of Manchester based on those earlier.

maquiladora

Interesting little bit of info :

Met Éireann's Evelyn Cusack said high pressure pushed the plume east and it never came over Ireland. She said a change in the winds on Monday or Tuesday could bring it back over the country. However, she said heavy rain in Iceland may wash the particles out of the air before then.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0416/transportupdates.html

DOCARCH

All I can say is that there was light brown dust all my car and my wifes car this morning and it was not there yesterday (because I specifically looked out of interest). When you rub it of, you get a dirty darker brown smudge on your finger.

Have seen/looked at Saharan dust on my car - it was nothing like that.

Something fell out of the sky overnight!

Just checked again and it has slight sparkle to it! Just took close up picture and have emailed to Met E.

unkel

Sponge Bob wrote: »

one went to chicago just now, be over Galway any minute

I can't find it now. Where did it go?

LookingFor

The met eireann page updated for today says they expect ash to penetrate into irish airspace from the east and southeast later this afternoon and evening.

The VAAC forecasts seem to also point at risk in the south and south east for later.

I'm slightly surprised the IAA hasn't reapplied restrictions to Cork as a result, but maybe they think they've enough time before there's an ash risk in these parts again.

rebel girl 15

LookingFor wrote: »

The met eireann page updated for today says they expect ash to penetrate into irish airspace from the east and southeast later this afternoon and evening.

The VAAC forecasts seem to also point at risk in the south and south east for later.

I'm slightly surprised the IAA hasn't reapplied restrictions to Cork as a result, but maybe they think they've enough time before there's an ash risk in these parts again.

Don't there is any need for the IAA to apply restrictions

http://www.corkairport.com/flight_info/departures.asp

Heard on local radio that the terminal is eerily empty as well

maquiladora

DOCARCH wrote: »

All I can say is that there was light brown dust all my car and my wifes car this morning and it was not there yesterday (because I specifically looked out of interest). When you rub it of, you get a dirty darker brown smudge on your finger.

Have seen/looked at Saharan dust on my car - it was nothing like that.

Something fell out of the sky overnight!

Just checked again and it has slight sparkle to it! Just took close up picture and have emailed to Met E.

I was just reading this...

15:34 Reports of dust deposits around Ireland are unlikely to be volcanic ash, warns Met Éireann.

Gerry Murphy says initial indications suggest that this material is not volcanic.

The volcanic ash plume is drifting to the east of the country and it is unlikely that any ash will be deposited here unless it rains.

15:26 However in the UK, scientists say they have confirmed that ash that settled in the Sheffield area is in fact volcanic.

Dr Hywel Jones from Sheffield University's Materials and Engineering Research Institute, spotted the dust on his cycle ride into work.

'We analysed the samples and found they contained silicon and oxygen, calcium, aluminium and sodium, which make up volcanic matter.'

Chefdf

Any idea when Aer Lingus will decide whether to cancel their flights from ireland tomorrow? Specifically flights before 7am.

DOCARCH

maquiladora wrote: »

I was just reading this...

They're just hiding the truth! Conspiracy!

vibe666

'We analysed the samples and found they contained silicon and oxygen, calcium, aluminium and sodium, which make up volcanic matter.'

no sulpher?

dodzy

Chefdf wrote: »

Any idea when Aer Lingus will decide whether to cancel their flights from ireland tomorrow? Specifically flights before 7am.

I'm sure they are watching anxiously just like us but no harm entering the date / flight number here

And also for general updates on their site related specifically to the Volcanic Ash, see here

rebel girl 15

Chefdf wrote: »

Any idea when Aer Lingus will decide whether to cancel their flights from ireland tomorrow? Specifically flights before 7am.

Depends on which airport and the destination I'd say

Chefdf

Cork to Munich??

Have checked aer lingus site on and off over the past few hours but no word of tomorrow yet.

Su Campu

Looking at the Mace Head live data for today there is a huge increase particle concentration in the last couple of hours. Not sure whether this has anything to do with the ash or if it's just the diurnal increase that takes place at low tide when the concentration of iodide aersols from the seaweed increases on exposure to sunlight.

Both the particle size and concentrations are around 100 times greater than earlier in the day.







Full array of data here

rebel girl 15

Chefdf wrote: »

Cork to Munich??

Have checked aer lingus site on and off over the past few hours but no word of tomorrow yet.

Not cancelled yet according to the Cork airport website http://www.corkairport.com/flight_info/departures.asp

From the data and predictions of ash so far, I'd say not
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/aviation/vaac/data/VAG_1271417376.png

Though that could change significantly with the next update

acquiescefc

I was just reading this...

Quote:
15:34 Reports of dust deposits around Ireland are unlikely to be volcanic ash, warns Met Éireann.

Gerry Murphy says initial indications suggest that this material is not volcanic.

The volcanic ash plume is drifting to the east of the country and it is unlikely that any ash will be deposited here unless it rains.

15:26 However in the UK, scientists say they have confirmed that ash that settled in the Sheffield area is in fact volcanic.

Dr Hywel Jones from Sheffield University's Materials and Engineering Research Institute, spotted the dust on his cycle ride into work.

'We analysed the samples and found they contained silicon and oxygen, calcium, aluminium and sodium, which make up volcanic matter.'

Its local knowledge that this was caused by the cleaners dusting out Sheffield Uniteds trophy cabinet..

Sponge Bob

Su Campu wrote: »

Looking at the Mace Head live data for today there is a huge increase particle concentration in the last couple of hours.

Good spot there su campu. I reckon it is a traditional connemara bog fire though

LookingFor

Su Campu wrote: »

Looking at the Mace Head live data for today there is a huge increase particle concentration in the last couple of hours. Not sure whether this has anything to do with the ash or if it's just the diurnal increase that takes place at low tide when the concentration of iodide aersols from the seaweed increases on exposure to sunlight.

Both the particle size and concentrations are around 100 times greater than earlier in the day.

Full array of data here

Hmmm.

16:31 There have been reports of 'unusual dust' deposits from many parts of the west and the northwest this afternoon.

Met Éireann says it is unlikely to be volcanic ash - but one of the country's leading climate change experts says some of the deposits he has seen in Galway may be linked to the eruptions in Iceland

It's slightly disconcerting that there could be ash that far west while risk models have given Ireland the all clear I guess our met office doesn't have surveillance planes and the like that could take samples...

owenc

LookingFor wrote: »

Hmmm.



It's slightly disconcerting that there could be ash that far west while risk models have given Ireland the all clear I guess our met office doesn't have surveillance planes and the like that could take samples...

Well some kind of surveillance plane went by here earlier towards scotland... and there is a plane coming into our (uk) airspace to london i thought stansted was shut..

rc28

LookingFor wrote: »

Hmmm.



It's slightly disconcerting that there could be ash that far west while risk models have given Ireland the all clear I guess our met office doesn't have surveillance planes and the like that could take samples...

I think it's possible - looking at the satellite loop 'wisps' of cloud are drifting southwards over the west and northwest. It looks similar to what's over the North Sea too.
http://sat24.com/gb

Deep Easterly

Volcanic Ash is so yesterday. Nuclear explosion and fallout at Shannon Airport is the 'new black':




Run for the hills! :eek:

owenc

rc28 wrote: »

I think it's possible - looking at the satellite loop 'wisps' of cloud are drifting southwards over the west and northwest. It looks similar to what's over the North Sea too.
http://sat24.com/gb

oh yes i see that. but it may be something to do with haze or the front coming??

owenc

Deep Easterly wrote: »

Volcanic Ash is so yesterday. Nuclear explosion and fallout at Shannon Airport is the 'new black':




Run for the hills! :eek:

lol that airport needs a upgrade big time!

The Swordsman

LookingFor wrote: »

Hmmm.



It's slightly disconcerting that there could be ash that far west while risk models have given Ireland the all clear I guess our met office doesn't have surveillance planes and the like that could take samples...

The planes wouldn't need to take samples. If they fall out of the sky, they'll know it's volcanic ash. :P:P

snaps

Deep Easterly wrote: »

Volcanic Ash is so yesterday. Nuclear explosion and fallout at Shannon Airport is the 'new black':




Run for the hills! :eek:

Im hiding under the stairs!

LookingFor

Well this is a kind of big escalation of things:

17:11 Ryanair has 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 Monday 19 April.

This could change I guess, but that seems the most conservative action I've seen taken by any airline, stretching out into Monday!

edit - here's a direct link: they're doing this so that all passengers potentially affected have as much notice as possible to rebook on flights later in the week at no extra cost. Makes sense I guess, as someone meant to be travelling with Aer Lingus on Sunday to London, the short notice and lack of notice on how this is developing is rather annoying.

http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/ryanair-expects-current-flight-cancellations-to-continue

owenc

LookingFor wrote: »

Well this is a kind of big escalation of things:



This could change I guess, but that seems the most conservative action I've seen taken by any airline, stretching out into Monday!

Well its better to be safe.. but why is there a ryanair flight flying out of dublin!

owenc

now our website bbc is reporting this too.

dodzy

LookingFor wrote: »

Well this is a kind of big escalation of things:



This could change I guess, but that seems the most conservative action I've seen taken by any airline, stretching out into Monday!

edit - here's a direct link: they're doing this so that all passengers potentially affected have as much notice as possible to rebook on flights later in the week at no extra cost. Makes sense I guess, as someone meant to be travelling with Aer Lingus on Sunday to London, the short notice and lack of notice on how this is developing is rather annoying.

http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/ryanair-expects-current-flight-cancellations-to-continue

Well f**k that in anyways :mad:

Morzadec

Very annoying, was meant to be flying out to Seville tomorrow morning...

I'm flying with Ryanair, does anyone know what their refund policy is? There is a flight on Tuesday 20th which is only 30euro, should I go ahead and book this now, or hope Ryanair sort me out? I've heard they're pretty bad when it comes to customer service....

Thanks in advance for any replies