|
|
Volcanic ash buildup shuts airport on La
Palma in Spain's Canary Islands
MADRID, Oct 7 (Reuters) - A buildup of ash and dust from the erupting
Cumbre Vieja volcano on the runway forced authorities in Spain's La Palma to
close the island's airport on Thursday, air traffic operator AENA (AENA.MC)
said.
Other airports in the Canary Islands' archipelago off North Africa remained
open, however, and an AENA spokesperson said the ash cloud was unlikely to pose
any wider risks to air travel for now.
It is the second time that La Palma's airport has been shut due to ash
buildup since the eruption began on Sept. 19.
"The La Palma Airport is inoperative due to ash accumulation. The
established protocols are being applied. Safety is the priority," the operator
said in a post on Twitter.
In 2011, sweeping closures of European airspace due to an ash cloud from
the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland disrupted travel plans for millions of
passengers in Europe and elsewhere, and cost airlines over a billion euros in
revenues.
The volcano on La Palma has been blasting out jets of red-hot lava for more
than two weeks, laying waste to hundreds of buildings and farms, and forcing the
evacuation of thousands.
The airport was closed on Sept. 25 but reopened the following day after
workers swept volcanic ash off the runway.
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.