Drifting ash cloud prompts flight cancellations in St. John’s
Posted Apr 19, 2010 05:17:43 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The volcanic-ash cloud that’s paralyzed much of Europe’s air traffic since late last week is drifting into Eastern Canadian airspace this morning, and more flight disruptions are expected as a consequence.
Marie Manning, a spokeswoman for the airport in St. John’s, Nfld., says Air Canada, WestJet and Porter Airlines have cancelled flights as a precaution this morning until 9 a.m.
“We do have a number of flights that have been cancelled for precautionary reasons,” she said. “There’s a 30 per cent probability that volcano ash will reach St. John’s.”
Transport Canada says it will make any decision to shut the airspace down outright.
There is some hope for thousands of air travellers who have been stranded across the globe elsewhere since last week.
The European Union will meet today to try to figure out how to get planes in the air again.
E-U Transport Commissioner, Siim Kallas, says commercial air travel can’t remain
grounded indefinitely.
“This is clear that this is not sustainable,” he said. “We cannot go ahead and just wait until the ash cloud disappears.”
The European Union says air traffic could return to about 50 per cent of normal levels today if weather forecasts hold.
