Australia, June 13:Tens of thousands of travellers are stranded after dozens of Australian flights were cancelled this morning in response to the volcanic ash cloud from an eruption in Chile.
Strong winds have carried the ash clouds 9,400 kilometres across the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand since Chile’s Puyehue volcano erupted more than a week ago, and they are now entering Australian airspace.
Qantas and Jetstar have cancelled all their flights in and out of Melbourne, Tasmania and New Zealand, and will not consider flying until 10:00am (AEST) today.
Virgin Australia has suspended its Melbourne, New Zealand and Tasmanian flights, while Tiger airways has cancelled all its Australian services until further notice.
All airlines are waiting for more information from weather bureaus and the Australian Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin, to see whether further cancellations are necessary.
Airlines are recommending passengers check the status of their flights online before arriving at the airport.
Tiger airways spokeswoman Vanessa Regan says alternate flights will be made available for affected passengers when the plume clears.
“We’re doing everything we can to minimise any inconvenience for our passengers,” she said.
“[We are] providing them with a range of provisions to assist them with their preferred, alternate travel arrangements including a free-of-charge transfer to the next available flight or preferred alternate flight, as well as a full refund or credit to fly with us at another time.
“We’ll be updating our website from very early in the morning…
our call centre is on standby at the moment trying to assist but obviously there are higher-than-normal volumes of calls coming through.” Qantas said it had taken the precautionary measure until it knew more about the density of the cloud and its possible impact on aircraft.
“We believe that it’s absolutely the right thing to ground these services.
We will put them back up in the air as soon as possible but it’s a safety-first approach for our customers,” Qantas spokeswoman Olivia Wirth said.
Air New Zealand says it will adjust flight routes and altitudes to avoid the plumes, which New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority has warned will be at 20,000 – 30,000 feet – the cruising altitude for both jet and turboprop aircraft.
The authority says New Zealand airspace may be affected for at least a week, given the volcano is still erupting.
With thousands of passengers stranded on both sides of the Tasman Sea, Air Services Australia says the cloud has already reached Australian airspace and could affect air traffic for the next few days.
“While the main ash cloud is expected to pass to the south of the Australian mainland it has reached airspace in southern Tasmania and the south island of New Zealand,” the authority said in a statement.
The volcanic eruptions have already prompted the cancellation of several flights across South America.
—Agencies