Ash cloud forces 500 flight cancellations
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More than 500 flights were cancelled due to the ash cloud drifting across the UK and Europe yesterday. Following Loganair’s flight suspension on Monday night, British Airways pulled flights between Stansted and Scotland yesterday and KLM cancelled 16 flights to and from the UK. Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle are currently the most affected airports but it is thought that the ash cloud would impact Heathrow last night.Dubai-based airline Emirates was forced to divert a Glasgow-bound flight to Manchester yesterday due to atmospheric conditions in the north of the UK.No other Middle East airlines had reported issues with schedules at the time of press.The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and safety organisation Eurocontrol has said that disruption will not be as severe as last April, as airlines are more prepared. “Our number one priority is to ensure the safety of people both onboard aircraft and on the ground,” explained Andrew Haines, chief executive of the CAA in a statement. “We can’t rule out disruption, but the new arrangements that have been put in place since last year’s ash cloud mean the aviation sector is better prepared and will help to reduce any disruption in the event that volcanic ash affects UK airspace.”Meanwhile, leading online private jet network, PrivateFly.com, has reported a surge in online enquiries in the last 24 hours from both leisure and business passengers, left stranded by Scottish air travel restrictions.Many airlines have cancelled flights to and from Scotland and, with other UK and European airspace on alert, travelers are looking at alternative options in order to return home or make crucial meetings.Adam Twidell, PrivateFly CEO commented: “We’ve seen a significant increase in enquiries for flights to and from Scotland in the last 24 hours. As we saw so clearly during last year’s ash cloud travel chaos, the flexibility of private charter is a real boon to travellers during this type of uncertainty. Depending on the levels of ash concentration, many smaller aircraft may be able to fly in affected airspace, including piston-engine and turbo-propeller aircraft and low altitude jets.”The situation is very fluid and changing by the hour and, while many private flights are also affected, the flexibility of private aviation means that schedules can be adapted at very short notice to change destinations when ‘gaps’ in the ash cloud emerge, including the ability to land or depart from many more airports.”
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