Vulkan i Chille

Chile Volcano Eruption Update: Airborn Ash Prompts Flight Cancellations In Chile, Argentina, Uruguay

Smoke and ash rise from the Calbuco volcano as seen from the city of Puerto Montt, Chile, April 22, 2015. Reuters

Three days after Chile's Calbuco volcano first erupted, ash clouds forced flight cancellations Saturday in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. Airborne ash particles, carried by wind across South America, can cause issues for plane engines, prompting the precautionary groundings.

Calbuco erupted Wednesday and Thursday, shooting a plume of smoke and ash about 11 miles into the sky. The ash was blown across South America, Argentina seeing the brunt of the impact on flights since wind carried the ash northeast. Delta Airlines, Air France, American Airlines, Air Canada and Qantas Airways all suspended flights Saturday to and from airports in Santiago, Chile; Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay, Reuters reported. Buenos Aires, for context, is about 1,000 miles away from Calbuco. Chile's and Argentina's main airlines were both operating flights to and from those airports, however.