Flights cancelled as ash cloud returns

Posted June 21, 2011 06:35:00

Ash from Chile's Puyehue volcano is circling the globe a second time. (Reuters: Carlos Gutierrez)

Thousands of air passengers will be left stranded this morning as flights to and from South Australia are cancelled because of the Chilean volcanic ash cloud.

Qantas has cancelled 25 flights in and out of Adelaide and Port Lincoln between 6:30am (ACST) and 2:00pm after getting away five flights early this morning.

The airline will reassess the situation this afternoon.

Travellers are bracing for further travel chaos as the ash cloud circles the Earth for a second time, after last week delaying flights across Australia and New Zealand for several days.

Qantas also says it is possible flights to and from Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne may also be affected by the ash from the eruption of Chile's Mt Puyehue Cordon Caulle volcano.

Qantas discount airline Jetstar has cancelled "selected" flights, while Virgin has grounded flights involving Adelaide for the whole day.

Virgin spokesman Colin Lippiatt says the airline has been advised it is not safe to fly underneath the ash cloud.

"We're talking about 48 flights, and that is equivalent to about 4,300 people," he said.

Tiger Airways is suspending its two morning flights to and from Adelaide.

Matt Wardell from Airservices Australia says the cloud is expected to reach Adelaide about dawn, and disruptions may continue throughout the week.

"It does mean that from about 6:30am through to at least the early afternoon there'll be some significant flight disruptions into and out of Adelaide," he said.

"So we are encouraging people, if you're travelling to or from Adelaide, to make sure that you stay in touch with your particular airline just to find out how your services have been affected."

Mr Wardell says Airservices Australia will be monitoring the situation throughout the morning.

"The weather gods have certainly been a little unkind, as have the volcano gods, and this particular ash cloud has now been around the world one-and-a-half times, on its way to its second circumnavigation," he said.

"It does mean that we're looking at some ongoing delays and we are at the mercy of the wind, particularly as to which way the cloud blows and how long it hangs around for."

Tags: business-economics-and-finance, industry, weather, air-transport, australia, sa, adelaide-5000, port-lincoln-5606

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/21/3248961.htm

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