Midst the news about airport closures in Europe and the spreading volcanic ash, U.S. newspapers have failed to mention the spread of ash across the north Atlantic and into Canada. The map above released only about two hours before this post, clearly shows the ash cloud stretching across the Atlantic and dipping down into the major flight lanes of transatlantic flights.
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While the commercial air transport world has been all but stopped in the European airspace, the U.S. military has managed to continue resupply operations and medical evacuation flights by redeploying aircraft ahead of the spreading volcanic ash.
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Until today, the European decisions forced because of the volcanic ash cloud that has put an end to air traffic over the continent have been on a country-by-country basis. Now that the ash has closed most of Europe’s airspace, the E.U. is debating how to coordinate an emergency European-wide response.
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At this point, even armchair travelers are familiar with Europe’s volcanic ash saga and the fact that the cloud has basically grounded all flights in the European airspace. News stories on the situation also talk about how much money — perhaps $200 million dollars a day — airlines are losing. But, airlines aren’t the only part of the travel industry, and even in the airline community, there are some winners and losers. Here’s an admittedly unofficial scorecard.
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The no-fly zone within Europe has spread southward from northern Europe. Only airports in the middle Mediterranean and near Istanbul are still open. Until the winds change this current cloud of volcanic dust will hinder air transportation.
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Here is a primer on why volcanic ash is so dangerous, the international system that monitors the ash and stories of planes that didn’t heed ash warnings or were taken by surprise before the world began ash monitoring.
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At the time of writing this post, an erupting volcano in Iceland is spreading a cloud of volcanic ash over much of Europe that has grounded most transatlantic flights. The list of cities with closed airports includes London (all airports), Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, Zurich…the list goes. It just about covers the hubs of all major European carriers.
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Though pictures of the volcanic eruption in Iceland have been spectacular, the real economic ash appears to be falling on flights to and from Britain. The U.K. has shut down its major airports and airlines from Ryanair to British Airways have canceled flights. Airport closures and cancellations can be expected across northern Europe.
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