Pilots cautioned also in Finland about ash cloud from Iceland
Particles from volcanic eruption may have drifted to Finnish air-space
|
|
Clouds of ash emitted by Iceland's Grimsvötn volcano also affected air traffic in Finland on Wednesday, even though no delays or actual emergencies occurred.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) reported that pilots would do well to stay clear of a group of clouds at an altitude of five kilometres, just east of a line from Vaasa to Helsinki.
There was no certainty of the composition of the clouds, but it was suspected they may have contained particles from the volcanic eruption that started in Iceland on Monday.
According to Northern Finland's air traffic control centre, based on their own observations, pilots had requested routes at altitudes lower than usual.
Sightings of unusual cloud formations were also reported above Mariehamn, in the Åland Islands, and over Turku.
The FMI estimated the clouds would pass Finland during the course of the day, as the southern air currents at an altitude of six kilometres were gaining strength.
The volcanic ash cloud passed over Sweden from north to south during the course of Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning at an approximate height of 6,000 metres. Air traffic was rerouted to fly below the cloud formation.
On Tuesday, thick clouds of ash belched from the crater of the Grimsvötn volcano, reaching heights of up to 13 kilometres.
Transatlantic flights were rerouted past the cloud, as flying into a cloud of volcanic ash could stop aircrafts' jet engines.
Grimsvötn's eruption reportedly punctured the 150 to 200-metre-thick ice cover of Vatnajökull, the largest glacier in Europe, over a distance of about one kilometre.
No one needed to be evacuated from the uninhabited area. The eruption is expected to continue for days.
Helsingin Sanomat
