Iceland issues red alert for eruption of Bardarbunga volcano

Iceland’s meteorological agency has issued a red alert on Saturday for airlines at the first signs of the erupted volcano Bardarbunga, the second largest island. Red Alert is the last of five levels of warning and means that, although it has not yet started broadcasting ash into the atmosphere, the eruption has begun. Since the possible entry into volcanic activity became known, the European organization for the safety of air navigation, Eurocontrol, has acknowledged that ” may affect” the air traffic in the EU but has reiterated that the sector is ” more prepared ” to in April 2010, when the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull unleashed havoc in European skies, left on earth for 10 million passengers and led to losses of more than 1,300 million euros to airlines. By far the no-fly decreed by the Icelandic government for ” probable” ash emission in the coming hours only affects the immediate Bardarbunga.

Explains own agency Icelandic weather on website, and would have produced a first ” small ” eruption of lava under a layer of ice between 150 and 400 meters, while the radars and cameras deployed in the area not yet appreciate changes in the volcano’s surface. If finally ash emission to the atmosphere occurs, the warning center (VAAC) of Eurocontrol in London every six hours to inform the authorities of civil aviation forecast emission -under, medium or high.

“Although the volcano ash emits, closing airspace would not be immediate,” spokesperson noted on Friday responsible for Eurocontrol. In the past four years, the community organization has changed protocols and has granted more decision-making power to the airlines on whether or not to fly in a case like this. ” According to our information, most civil aviation authorities of the Member States would leave the last word to the airlines, which apply their own security protocols,” adds a technical agency. These changes should lead to fewer cancellations than those caused by Eyjafjallajokull. ” Always, ensuring the safety of passengers,” he stresses. After the 2010 episode, authoritative voices in the industry criticized the closure of airspace enacted in most of the EU.

The Bardarbunga volcano just over 2,000 meters, is the second highest peak in Iceland and is part of a large volcanic system beneath a glacier. In the region where it is located in the center of the country and just under 300 kilometers from the capital, Reykjavik, there are no permanent residents. However, to minimize the risk of injury among tourists visiting the area, the government ordered its evacuation on Wednesday.

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Posted by Mike Ross on Aug 25 2014. Filed under Latest News, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.