Icelandic volcano eruption spreads fears of delays for air travel

The eruption of an Icelandic volcano is again spreading worries about havoc to international airways.

It was the Eyjafjallajokull volcano last year that disrupted air travel for weeks and stranded thousands of Americans. This time it is Saturday’s eruption of the Grimsvotn volcano that is causing alarms. The volcano is Iceland’s most active.

While experts say they do not expect the disruptions to be as severe as last year’s, airline stocks in Europe fell on Monday when trading desks opened because of worries that the eruption could be a problem.

Iceland’s main airport in Reykjavik was closed Monday morning, and much of the disruption was expected to be centered on that country. But some airlines

were also changing flight patterns around Iceland, which was causing some delays, according to multiple reports.

An international advisory for volcanic ash was issued by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in London. It suggested flights from the West Coast of the U.S. to Europe could be affected by the ash from Grimsvotn.

Eurocontrol issued a statement Monday stating that some ash cloud could reach parts of northern Europe in the next 48 hours, according to a report in the Christian Science Monitor.

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