Icelandic airspace was closed temporarily on Sunday morning because of Grimsvoetn volcano eruption, the most active in the country, which triggered a huge cloud of smoke, airport authorities announced (Isavia).
“Keflavik Airport, our main international airport is closed. The airspace is closed”, declared for AFP spokeswoman Esau Hjordis Gudmundsdottir, shortly before 09:00 GMT.
This measure would last for at “least a few more hours”,according to spokeswoman, who said that a new announcement will be made at 12:00 GMT.Grimsvoetn volcano, located in Vatnajoekull glacier in southeast Iceland, came erupting Saturday, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Institute. Grimsvoetn is the most active volcano in the country, with nine eruptions in the period 1922-2004.
The eruption generated a huge cloud of smoke Sunday around 08.00 GMT located at an altitude of “at least 17 miles, maybe a little more”, says Einar Kjartansson, geophysicist at the Institute of Meteorology.
Eruption unlikely to disrupt international air traffic
Grimsvoetn eruption should not disrupt air traffic, as it happened in 2010 when the volcano Eyjafjöll errupted, said Sunday a specialist of the Icelandic Meteorological Institute.
“I do not think it will have the same effect as Eyjafjoell, because ash is not that fine”, said geophysicist Gunnar Gudmundsson AFP.
“I do not think that will have an effect on international flights, or that it will result in closure of some airports abroad”, he said, adding that domestic traffic could be disrupted.