News.com.au ,May 31, 2014
FLIGHTS around Australia this weekend have been disrupted after a major volcanic eruption in Indonesia sent an ash cloud barreling into our skies.
Darwin Airport is closed and the cloud is spreading south towards Alice Springs.
At this stage experts do not expect a major impact on the east coast, although they warn that could change as Mount Sangeang Api, a volcano off the northeast coast of the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, continues to discharge debris.
The manager of the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre at the Bureau of Meteorology in Darwin, Emile Jansons, said the cloud is dispersing as it spreads south.
“It is continuing to disperse but it is moving very rapidly — at 70 to 80 knots (130 to 150km/h) — towards Alice Springs,” Mr Jansons said.
“It’s continuing to disperse but we are now not expecting a major impact on Brisbane or Sydney at this stage. There is a very strong jet stream so the boundary (of the cloud) may come further south.”
Volcanic ash clouds contain extremely fine particles of pulverised rock made up mainly of silica. The silica is very hard and abrasive and can be very damaging to aircraft structures, engines and windows.
CHECK THE RISKS, PILOTS WARNED
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority today said commercial air operators and private pilots planning to fly in the north and north-west of Australia should conduct a safety risk assessment before any flights.
Mr Jansons said it is clear from satellite images that the volcano is still erupting and the situation could still change at any time.
While it is a “fairly sizeable eruption”, Mr Jansons told the Northern Territory News that the cloud here would be invisible to the naked eye.
“The volcano has been erupting to 15km in the air,” he said. “It has moved across the Kimberley and western Top End.
“It’s high in the atmosphere so there won’t be any ashfall different to normal bushfire ashfall.”
He said there should be negligable impact on the air quality compared to usual Top End dry season weather, and said adverse health effects were unlikely.
Mr Jansons warned volcanic ash can be hazardous to aircraft but the decision whether or not to fly is a safety and economic decision that rests with individual airlines.
Qantas and Virgin Australia have confirmed all their flights to and from Darwin have been cancelled.
STRANDED OVERSEAS AS BALI AND SINGAPORE FLIGHTS HALTED
“Because of the impact of the volcano we have cancelled all flights today on our schedule to and from Darwin,” Virgin Australia spokeswoman Jacqui Abbott said.
“Our meteorologists are monitoring the situation and are consulting with the (volcanic ash) advisory centre in Darwin and we will renew normal operations as the situation allows.”
Qantas Group spokeswoman Kira Reed said cancellations also affect all Qantas flights to and from Darwin on Saturday and Jetstar’s Cairns-Darwin and Darwin-Cairns flights — plus its Darwin-Adelaide service and its Darwin-Bali, Bali-Darwin, Singapore-Darwin and Darwin-Singapore flights.
The Northern Territory News reports that while there is no official announcement yet, word on the ground at Darwin Airport is most flights will be cancelled until Monday.
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za 31 mei 2014 - 2:45