Iceland's volcanic ash halts India-UK flight operations

Mumbai: A huge cloud of ash from a volcano in Iceland not only turned the skies of northern Europe into a no-fly zone on Thursday, but also left passengers in India hassled.
Major airlines like Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and British Airways cancelled flights, compelling passengers travelling to the United Kingdom and northern Europe to frequently check for updates on flight schedules. There are six direct flights to London, UK, from Mumbai and more than 15 (direct and indirect) from India.
Britain, on Thursday, closed airports in Northern Ireland (Belfast), Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen) and England (Birmingham, Manchester), including airports in London (Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted), because of an eruption of Iceland’s EyjaFjoll volcano.
A spokesman for Kingfisher Airlines said, “We cancelled our flights on Thursday and are monitoring the situation closely.” British Airways, which operates two flights from Mumbai every day, said customers booked to travel on a cancelled flight can claim full refund or rebook their flight for a later date.
Air India operated flights despite the ash cloud.
16/04/10 Naveeta Singh/Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: Foreign Apr 2010, Indian Aviation- In General Apr 2010