eruption

PASSENGERS are facing disruption today at an airport in Sicily following a volcanic eruption.

Catania Airport has suspended all flights until this afternoon due to an eruption on Mount Etna – and it’s not for the first time as hundreds of flights were forced to cancel last month.

An ash cloud has caused airspace closures in Sicily which is affecting both arrivals and departures at Catania Airport.

Due to volcanic ash into the atmosphere, flights have been suspended until at least 2.30pm (local time) today.

The airport said: “Passengers are kindly requested to check the status of their flight with their airline before travelling to the airport.

“Further updates will follow.”

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For Brits, the disruption today has affected one easyJet flight so far, it is departing London Gatwick at 10am and will be diverted to Palermo.

Another easyJet flight heading to London Gatwick from Catania Airport remains on the schedule for 10.35am – although it’s likely to be cancelled following the suspension.

Later today, a BA flight scheduled to depart London Gatwick for Catania Airport remains scheduled for 7.55pm.

Flights first started being cancelled and diverted yesterday when Mount Etna erupted again.

Last month, ongoing eruptions from Mount Etna forced Sicily’s busiest airport to shut for five days in a row resulting in hundreds of cancelled flights.

Families who had their flights cancelled were left stranded with videos on social media showing holidaymakers sleeping on the airport floor and even luggage belts.

Last time Mount Etna erupted nearby Malta International Airport had to cancel 19 flights due to volcanic ash.

AN airport that was closed for almost three days after a volcanic eruption has finally reopened.

But hundreds of thousands of passengers are scrambling to get home with flights still being delayed or cancelled.

On Monday, Indonesia’s Transport Ministry reported on Monday that as many as 270,000 travellers were stranded with their flights “cancelled, delayed, or diverted” – including those at Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta International Airport which has since reopened.

Now it’s believed as many as 370,000 passengers are said to have been affected by the disruption across the last three days, with 3,000 flights cancelled.

It started on Friday when there was an eruption on Anak Krakatau.

An ash cloud drifted into the city of Jakarta and the Lampung province, halting flights at its airports with seven being forced to close.

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The biggest airport to close was Jakarta’s Soekarno Hatta International which grounded flights from Sunday until early this morning.

The current FCDO advice reads: “Soekarno Hatta Airport and Halim Airport in Jakarta were temporarily closed due to the volcanic ash clouds from Mount Anak Krakatau on 5 September.

“Both airports have reopened, but there are continued flight disruptions and many flights are cancelled or delayed.”

For anyone due to travel, it advises to check with your airline or travel provider for up to date information on your flight status.

On Flightradar24, Soekarno Hatta Airport has had 9 per cent of its flights cancelled today with 20 per cent delayed.

Lots of travellers were told they wouldn’t be able to fly for a few more days, including a newlywed couple on a honeymoon in Bali.

Talking to Bernama, they asked: “What are we going to do here for another five days? We only prepared enough money for our honeymoon and [were supposed] to go home yesterday.

They continued: “We thought we would just sleep at the airport for a few hours and then take the morning flight home [on Monday]. We never thought we would end up being stuck here for days.”

Yesterday, another passenger told AFP how they had not heard any updates from the airline and were seeking out hotels only to find most of them have been fully booked.

Airlines like Qantas are offering anyone who booked to go to or from Jakarta before September 5 the chance for a free refund on travel up to September 11.

But its services are resuming as scheduled from today.

Indonesia’s Geological Agency has warned however that “the probability of further eruptions in the coming periods remains high”.

Flight compensation rules

A look at your rights if a flight is delayed or cancelled, when your entitled to compensation and if your travel insurance can cover the costs.

What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed?

Under UK law, airlines have to provide compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late.

If you’re flying to or from the UK, your airline must let you choose a refund or an alternative flight.

You will be able to get your money back for the part of your ticket that you haven’t used yet.

So if you booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket refunded.

But if travelling is essential, then your airline has to find you an alternative flight. This could even be with another airline.

When am I not entitled to compensation?

The airline doesn’t have to give you a refund if the flight was cancelled due to reasons beyond their control, such as extreme weather.

Disruptions caused by things like extreme weather, airport or air traffic control employee strikes or other ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation.

Some airlines may stretch the definition of “extraordinary circumstances” but you can challenge them through the aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Will my insurance cover me if my flight is cancelled?

If you can’t claim compensation directly through the airline, your travel insurance may refund you.

Policies vary so you should check the small print, but a delay of eight to 12 hours will normally mean you qualify for some money from your insurer.

Remember to get written confirmation of your delay from the airport as your insurer will need proof.

If your flight is cancelled entirely, you’re unlikely to be covered by your insurance.

People have been advised to stay indoors because of the ash fallout

Hundreds of flights have been suspended after an airport had to be closed because of the ash cloud caused by a volcanic eruption. Tens of thousands of passengers have been left stranded. 209 flights were suspended after ash from Anak Krakatau blew into the airspace near Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Sunday.

Soekarno-Hatta is the main airport in Indonesia. The volcano started erupting on Friday night and there were two more eruptions on Sunday. More than 22,000 people have been hit by the suspension of flights, which has hity major international routes.

There is no tsunami warning linked to the eruption in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. The health minister has urged residents to stay indoors and wear face masks.

Local newspaper Kompas said schools cancelled activities on Saturday after students reported eye irritations. Fishing vessels have also been grounded amid health concerns.

Resident Aldi Candra Prayogi told Kompas it felt like “small grains of sand had gotten into my eyes” and he is having to clear the path outside his home every five minutes.

Anak Krakatau emerged from the sea in 1927 inside the caldera formed by the catastrophic, climate-altering eruption of the original Krakatoa volcano in 1883.

Indonesia’s Geological Agency said the volcanic island located in Indonesia’s Sunda Strait between the main Java and Sumatra islands had shown signs of activity since Friday before erupting for 30 seconds at 3.53am.

CCTV footage showed lava flares from the volcano. No casualties were reported and no evacuation order was issued. The nearest settlement is more than 16 kilometres (10 miles) away, but authorities warned residents and visitors to stay at least three kilometres (2 miles) from the active crater.

Volcanic ash spread across parts of Jakarta and Lampung province on Sumatra’s southern tip, Indonesia’s centre for volcanology and geological hazard mitigation said. AirNav Indonesia closed airspace around Soekarno-Hatta and Halim Perdanakusuma airports in Jakarta, as well as four other airports, including Radin Inten II Airport in Lampung, because of volcanic ash.

By mid-afternoon, the closure had affected 516 flight movements, with 202 in Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport alone, affecting about 22,800 passengers, on Sunday. The airport was ordered closed until at least 5.30pm.

Indonesia’s directorate general of civil aviation said it was closely monitoring the eruption’s impact on air travel and co-ordinating with airlines, airport operators, air navigation services and the meteorology agency.

“Safety remains our top priority in every operational decision,” Lukman F Laisa, ministry of transportation director general of civil aviation, said in a statement.

He warned flight schedules could face cascading disruptions affecting aircraft rotations, fleet availability and terminal capacity as airlines work to restore operations.

The eruption also disrupted services at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and at Medan.

Indonesia’s volcanology agency and the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre identified two ash clouds using satellite imagery. One plume rose to 20,000 feet (6,100 meters) and drifted northeast over Jakarta, Banten, West Java and nearby waters. A second cloud reached 50,000 feet (15,200 meters) and spread over parts of Banten, Lampung and Bengkulu provinces, the southern Sunda Strait and sections of the Indian Ocean west of Sumatra.

Lana Saria, head of Indonesia’s geological agency, said activity at Anak Krakatau has intensified since July, with Sunday’s eruption the strongest during the current period of unrest.

The repeated eruptions indicate a continued supply of magma and volcanic gases beneath the volcano, she said, though officials cannot predict whether a larger eruption will occur.

“We continue to evaluate the volcano’s development based on all monitoring data, not solely on the number of eruptions or the height of the ash column,” Ms Saria said in a video briefing.

She said the main hazards include volcanic ash, high concentrations of gas and the ejection of hot rocks and other material around the crater area.