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Date Published: 19/12/2023

Could the Iceland volcano shut down flights in Europe again?

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The eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in April 2010 caused the largest closure of European airspace since World War II

Could the Iceland volcano shut down flights in Europe again?

The eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010

The nascent volcanic eruption in Iceland has once again set off alarm bells throughout Europe, with fears mounting that an incident similar to that which occurred in 2010 could shut down air traffic over Christmas and the New Year.

Thirteen years ago, Eyjafjallajokull erupted in April, resulting in economic losses of 2.5 billion euros and the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights worldwide due to the noxious gases and ash clouds caused by the explosion. Airlines in the UK were by far the worst affected, but the impact was also felt in Spain, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Holland, Ireland and Belgium as countless planes were grounded.

For the past few weeks, Iceland has been bracing itself for a similar devastating eruption, and the small town of Grindavík, with a population of around 3,600 people, has already been completely evacuated.

Read also: 5 things you should know before flying to Spain this Christmas

Scientists are keeping a close eye on an underground river of magma that has already made its way towards the earth’s surface and which has led to several small earthquakes around the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik.

Volcanic eruptions pose a serious risk to aviation because they expel ash that can cause failures in aircraft engines and thus damage flight control systems and reduce visibility. However, this time around, the authorities have explained that the Icelandic eruption shouldn’t impact commercial flights in Europe.

"The Eyjafjallajokull eruption of 2010 was quite different as it was associated with a shield volcano topped by a glacier. It was the interaction of the magma with ice and melt water that made that eruption so explosive and dangerous for aviation. This is not the case here," explained Dr Michele Paulatto, volcanologist at Imperial College London.

As recently as last week, scientists were indeed worried that an eruption of similar magnitudes could lead to mass disruption across the Northern hemisphere, but the evidence that has since emerged indicates that the volcanic eruption will be much smaller than originally thought.

In other news: Chilly but dry run-up to Christmas—Spain weather forecast December 18-21

Images: @todayiniceland

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