Iceland and Volcanic Ash

Poor Iceland...............am feeling quite sorry for them. Last year the country went bankrupt - a financial meltdown. And now, in the last few days, there was a literal "meltdown"! The Eyjafjallajökull (wonder how you pronounce that!) volcano in Iceland erupted about a month ago and a few days ago, it erupted for the second time melting ice, shooting smoke and steam into the air and forcing hundreds of people to flee rising floodwaters.

The result - volcanic ash cloud has drifted over Northern and Western Europe forcing closure of airspace. This in turn has resulted in flight disruptions and cancellations, thousands of passengers being stranded and total chaos at airports. IATA estimates that airlines have lost about USD 200 million per day!!

Was I affected? Yes, even though I am in India, which is in Asia and far, far away from Iceland!
How have I been affected?
We at Kingfisher have had to cancel both our London flights for the past few days and we have no clue when the situation will stabilise and schedules can be recovered. Our guests have been totally inconvenienced but truly the situation is beyond our control and we have tried our best to minimise their pain.
Personally, I was off to Adelaide, Australia to attend a conference. Guess what? The world is a global village. The Icelandic volcanic ash had an impact on Qantas' operations out of Singapore. All passengers were being checked in only upto Singapore and from there on we were advised to contact the transfer desk. However I did not have a Singapore visa and so they would not allow me to board the flight from Mumbai.
Anyway, so I went back to the office and proceeded to cancel my travel plans. Only to find that Kingfisher is so important to the conference that the organisers were willing to purchase my ticket. So am now going to Adelaide on Sunday.

Some pictures of the volcano and its effects.....................

Smoke billows from an erupting volcano which seems to be close to the top of the Eyjafjalla glacier on April 14, 2010 near Reykjavik. All London flights, including those from Heathrow, will be suspended from noon (1100 GMT) today due to volcanic ash from Iceland that has already caused almost 300 cancellations here, officials said. (AFP/Getty Images)

An aerial handout photo from the Icelandic Coast Guard shows flood caused by a volcanic eruption at Eyjafjalla Glacier in southern Iceland April 14, 2010. The volcanic eruption on Wednesday partially melted a glacier, setting off a major flood that threatened to damage roads and bridges and forcing hundreds to evacuate from a thinly populated area. Picture taken April 14, 2010. (REUTERS/Icelandic Coast Guard/Arni Saeberg)

Melting ice caused by a volcanic eruption at Eyjafjalla Glacier in southern Iceland April 14, 2010. (REUTERS/Icelandic Coast Guard/Arni Saeberg)

Photo taken on April 14, 2010 the Markarfljot glacial river, west of the Eyjafjalla glacier. Iceland's second volcano eruption in less than a month melted part of a glacier and caused heavy flooding on April 14, forcing up to 800 people to evacuate and grounding some flights over Norway. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty Images)

Flooding caused by a volcanic eruption at Eyjafjalla Glacier in southern Iceland April 14, 2010. (REUTERS/Icelandic Coast Guard/Arni Saeberg)

A man takes a picture of a road that has been washed away by flood water following the melting of the Eyjafjalla glacier due to the eruption of a volcano on April 14, 2010 near Reykjavik. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty Images)

In this Wednesday April 14, 2010 photograph, smoke and steam are seen rising from the volcano under the Eyjafjalla glacier in Iceland, which erupted for the second time in less than a month, melting ice, shooting smoke and steam into the air and forcing hundreds of people to flee rising floodwaters. (AP Photo/Icelandic Coastguard)

This picture taken on March 27, 2010 shows lava spurting out of the site of a volcanic eruption at the Eyjafjallajökull volcano some 125 km east of Reykjavik. With lava still gushing, a small Icelandic volcano that initially sent hundreds fleeing from their homes is turning into a boon for the island nation's tourism industry, as visitors flock to catch a glimpse of the eruption. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty Images)

Lava spews out of a mountain on March 21, 2010 in the region of the Eyjafjalla glacier in Iceland. (RAGNAR AXELSSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Lava spurts out of the site of a volcanic eruption at the Eyjafjallajökull volcano near the Eyjafjalla glacier in Iceland on March 27, 2010. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty Images)

Lava spews out of a mountain on March 21, 2010 in Hvolsvöllur in the region of the Eyjafjalla glacier in Iceland. (Fior Kjartansson/AFP/Getty Images)

Steam and hot gases rise above lava flowing from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano on April 3rd, 2010. Original here. (Ulrich Latzenhofer / CC BY-SA)

Source: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/04/icelands_disruptive_volcano.html