Flights to London Cancelled

THE National Air Traffic Service (NATS) has imposed restrictions to UK airspace for Thursday morning due to volcanic ash drifting across the UK from Iceland. Volcanic ash represents a significant safety threat to aircraft.Air Canada and Jazz advise that flights to, from or connecting through London’s Heathrow (LHR) may be delayed or cancelled due to the volcanic activity in Iceland. This advisory is in effect for all day April 15.

Air Canada says 12 flights between London and Canadian destinations have been cancelled. Peter Fitzpatrick says the airline is waiving fees for those affected by the cancellations.
So far, only flights to London are affected, but Fitzpatrick said wind changes could affect flights to places like Frankfurt and Paris.

"It's unpredictable because of the nature of the situation," Fitzpatrick said, noting advisories would be posted on the Air Canada website.

Air Transat also issued a travel warning on Thursday for its passengers. The airline had one flight to Glasgow, Scotland, on Thursday morning that arrived on time, but the aircraft is now stuck at the airport until the ash passes. Another flight to London's Gatwick airport was also cancelled on Thursday, but the airline's others flights to France and elsewhere remain unaffected at this time, a spokesman for the airline said.

All British Airways UK domestic flights are cancelled today (15 April). Some flights from the USA (BA292/BA296/BA68) have been night-stopped and others already airborne may be diverted (BA228/BA192/BA264/BA188). Further disruption is likely as a second eruption has occurred in closer to Finland and Russia.

The following flights have been cancelled ex Canadian gateways:*BA0092 YYZ LHR 18h55 15 Apr*BA0093 LHR YYZ 12h00 15 Apr

Lufthansa confirms that several of its flights have either been cancelled or delayed into northern Europe.Airports throughout the United Kingdom and Scandinavia have closed. Passengers are strongly advised to contact their airline for further information.Weather forecasters said the ash plume could drift over British airspace during the night, causing significant disruption to services.

The movement of the plume, which has been drifting eastwards, is being monitored by Met Office, NATS, Eurocontrol and neighbouring countries.Volcanic ash, which consists of the pulverised rock and glass created by the eruptions, can jam aircraft machinery if a plane flies through the plume, shutting down the engines. Ash can also be can be sucked into the cabin itself, contaminating the passengers' environment as well as damaging the plane's electronic systems.

Forecasters also said the cloud could take a number of days to disperse. Reports indicate that the threat could run into Friday.