Icelandic Volcanic Eruption - Significant Disruption to UK Flights

Well the Santander to Plymouth is around 20 hours so I can't see the Bilbao-Portsmouth being 15, probably wrong though. :)

Either way it will be going through the Bay of Biscay, so get her to have a look and see if she can see any Whales/Dolphins as apparently it's quite common. :)

EDIT: Apparently the Bilbao-Portsmouth trip is supposed to take up to 29 hours if she's on that one http://www.eurodrive.co.uk/portsmouth_bilbao.htm

Now darkness had started to fall we can see the nice lightning caused by the agitation of all the ash particle. :D

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Creature said:
From what I was told today by controllers in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany:

Belgian and Dutch airspace is pretty much completely shut to any form of aircraft, including GA planes.
French is open at the very tip to GA aircraft (Le Touquet and Calais were open for it) but anything IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) is suspended.
German airspace is open to VFR (Visusal Flight Rules) flights, but at the pilots discretion, IFR are suspended.

We were phoning every major airport in the above countries to get a small plane in there to do a quick pick up, and only Dusseldorf was either A) Open, B) Allowed you to fly in, or C) Contactable. Every other major airport we tried was grounded or shut. That caused a hell of a lot of hassle. Still, we got it sorted.

The more interesting thing was our pilots reporting smelling sulfur at 3,000ft, always pleasant.
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Out of interest, what it is you work in?

I heard today that McLaren F1 when this started on Thursday got some guys to drive loads of parts to France and them flew them out to China on the last plane out of France!
 
Im shocked at the reports of the treatment of some passengers by the airports they are stuck at. On the BBC it said that some 200 Passengers who were diverted to moscow are pretty much under armed guard in a hotel corridor as they "dont have visa's" :eek: and apparrently the same has happened in india.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8626852.stm

Dont airports and governments have some sort of contingency plans for stuff like this happening? you cant just lock people up and hope the problem goes away.
 
My Mum is on her Honeymoon at the moment and might not be able to get her flight back next week due to this... I only found about it today lmao...
 
These people taking taxis paying thousands of pounds, better to hire a car from location>location, or are they all booked up too? Assuming they can drive/old enough etc. Within one country of course.
 
ChrisJSY said:
These people taking taxis paying thousands of pounds, better to hire a car from location>location, or are they all booked up too? Assuming they can drive/old enough etc.
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Many people won't have taken their driving licenses with them as they would not have expected to be driving.
 
Hades said:
Many people won't have taken their driving licenses with them as they would not have expected to be driving.
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In which case the DVLA / DVLNI will fax/email a scan copy of your licence and endorsements sheet to the Hire car place in the country you are in (assuming they have a fax - which nearly all do) - I believe they are legally obliged to do this if you request it ;)

I know - as I have had to do this on a number of occasions whilst away somewhere (and have argued with them about the fee they charge to do this in Northern Ireland, the DVLNI - when the DVLA do it for free I believe)
 
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So there have been 2 test flights now.....both of them came back perfect after flying through the ash!

It's looking good....Hopefully I can get home tomorrow
 
Latest from NATS:

Statement on Icelandic volcanic eruption: Sunday April 18, 0300

The volcanic ash cloud from Iceland shows continued and extensive cover of the UK. Based on the latest information from the Met Office, NATS advises that the restrictions currently in place across UK controlled airspace will remain in place until at least 1900 (UK time) today, Sunday April 18.

We will continue to monitor Met Office information and will advise on further arrangements at approximately 0900 (UK time) later this morning
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http://www.nats.co.uk/
 
GobzzzMp3 said:
My Mum is on her Honeymoon at the moment and might not be able to get her flight back next week due to this... I only found about it today lmao...
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Nothing wrong with that, you still have a few days of extra partying, now get off OcUK and go and find some people, give them some drink, play some banging techno music and dont forget to assign puke points!:D
 
Was due to fly back from a week long really cheap holiday in Cyprus. Despite all the news saying the airspace was shut we were taken on a bus to the airport , told our flight to NI was the only UK flight leaving, then 20mins later said it was cancelled. So back onto the bus, 45 mins back to resort. We were 4* half board and now 2* self catering. Not impressed with having to pay food etc as wanted cheap holiday, but apparently other operators have dumped their guests at airport so I won't complain. Do operators have any legal obligation to put people up and feed them? I am guessing act of God is a get out clause for them all.

Who knows when we will get back. Will just enjoy the sun for now but we can't wander too far from hotel. Could be days yet I'm sure.
 
I'm interested to see if the eruption is still going, but I've had the webcam on since 6am and it's been too cloudy to see the top of the volcano or what's coming out of it. :(
 
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