Nigerian passengers may be stranded on Sunday (today) as the ripple effect of a fresh Icelandic volcano ash cloud stretching over Northern
Spain and Southern France has resulted in flight delays and
cancellations between Europe and North America on Saturday.
In Spain, for instance, 19 airports including the international hub in Barcelona were closed on Saturday with the country‘s airport
authority saying that more than 670 flights had been cancelled by 14:00
(1200 GMT).
Likewise, 125 flights in and out of Portugal were cancelled as at noon local time (1100 GMT).
Due to the congestion on the alternate routes, particularly over southern Portugal and Spain where many of the planes were being
funnelled, some trans-Atlantic flights were taking significantly longer.
An Air France flight from Boston arrived in Paris Saturday with a delay
of more than four hours.
Aer Lingus also cancelled flights from the United States to Dublin, citing the exceptionally circuitous routes to get around the cloud.
According to the Associated Press, the prospect for Sunday flights remained grim, with no improvement in sight for trans-Atlantic
passengers because of the plume of low-altitude ash continuing to float
eastward over Spain and southern France..
Flights had to be rerouted north over Greenland or south around Spain to avoid the 1,200-mile long cloud stretching from Iceland to northern
Spain.
Approximately 600 airliners make the oceanic crossing every day.
The disruptions to air traffic did not compare to the five-day closure of European airspace last month, which forced the cancellation
of over 100,000 flights, stranded passengers around the world and caused
airlines direct losses of more than N1b euros.
An official of Lufthansa in Nigeria said there were a few delays in its transatlantic flights. This is expected to start affecting flights
to other countries including Nigeria, according to airport officials.
Information posted on Airfrance‘s website as at 5pm on Saturday said, ”French airspace remains open. Routes for flights going to or coming
from North America, Central America and the Caribbean are modified to
avoid the volcanic cloud.”
British Airways, KLM, Arik Air and Virgin Atlantic in Nigeria said that they were yet to be affected as at Saturday but could not tell what
could happen on Sunday.