Eruption near Iceland volcano triggers red alert for airlines

Irish airlines said their operations have not been affected by the eruption near Bardarbunga volcano but are closely monitoring the situation.

A small eruption occurred north of Iceland’s Bardarbunga volcano after nearly two weeks of earthquakes in the region but no volcanic ash has been detected, Icelandic authorities said this morning.

The ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano closed much of Europe’s airspace for six days in 2010.

A spokesman for Aer Lingus said the airline was monitoring the situation closely. “The airspace we require is currently unaffected and there is therefore no disruption to our schedule,” he said. “We will inform customers via our website, SMS, email, social, broadcast and print media of any changes to this situation.”

A spokeswoman for Ryanair said all flights were operating as normal “and we will continue to monitor the situation”.

The estimated 1 km fissure eruption in the Holuhraun area near the Bardarbunga volcano prompted the Icelandic Met Office to raise the warning code for aviation to red, the highest level.

The rumblings at Iceland’s largest volcano system, which is covered by a several hundred meters thick glacier, have raised worries of an eruption that could spell trouble for air travel.

The eruption just after midnight GMT took place in a lava field not covered by ice. The risk of an ash cloud is highest in case of a sub-glacial eruption.

"The Icelandic Met Office has raised the aviation colorcode over the eruption site to red and the Icelandic Air Traffic Control has closed down the airspace from the earth up to 18,000 feet," Iceland's National Crisis Coordination Centre said.

“No volcanic ash has been detected with the radar system at the moment....Seismic eruption tremor is low indicating effusive eruption without significant explosive activity.”

Icelandic Met Office spokeswoman Kristin Gudmundsdottir said activity at the fissure seemed to be unchanged in the morning hours after decreasing two hours after the eruption started.

The red warning code indicates that an eruption is imminent or underway, with a risk of ash.

Reuters