15,000 Flights Grounded in Europe due to Volcano

[bleys]

More than half of Europe's regularly scheduled commercial flights were expected to remain grounded Friday and many of the regions busiest airline routes will be closed until Saturday, as the fallout from a volcanic eruption in Iceland continued, leaving thousands of travelers stranded and impacting global trade.

Airlines across the world were affected, with Eurocontrol, the 38-country agency in Brussels that coordinates European flights, estimating that only 11,000 flights will take place Friday in European airspace, compared with 28,000 flights on an average day. About 100 trans-Atlantic flights arrived of the 300 typically expected.

Air-traffic problems shifted Friday as the clouds of ash were blown across Europe. While limited airspace was reopened in Scotland, Ireland and Sweden, air-traffic controllers began to close down airspace in Germany, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304910604575187230144617648.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

sounds interesting...

[Hawk]

good thing most of them are close enough that they can just drive/train instead!

[Zcustom]

One of the performers at the festival I'm playing this weekend couldn't make it due to this. He's a music phenom from Scotland, too bad cuz he would have been one of the few not over 80

[Jangler]

Next....Global Cooling

[Squirrel]

The way the flights have to operate over to Europe is the main problem. Most airliners are run on the NATS (North Atlantic Track System). Way it works depends on the airlines approval of how far they can operate from a suitable airport. One of the main airports is on Iceland so without that airport airplanes cant make it to Europe.

[g5jamz]

My father is stuck in Germany...gonna miss my daughter's birthday if he doesn't get out soon.

[Miaoww]

fuging Icelandic's again, first the banks now this. Nuke them I say.