Europe-bound flights make safety adjustments in flight paths

Eruptions from Iceland’s most active volcano Grimsvotn nearly died down on Wednesday.

Eruptions from Iceland’s most active volcano Grimsvotn nearly died down on Wednesday.

HT Image

However, some Indian carriers made precautionary adjustments in the flight path of their Europe-bound flights to avoid flying through volcanic ash clouds.

Kingfisher Airline’s flight between London and Mumbai, for instance, took a southerly route to steer clear of aerospace likely to be affected by drifting volcanic ash. “The move was taken in interests of passenger safety,” said an airline spokesperson. The airline is also in touch with Eurocontrol, the common air traffic control for the entire European skies for regular updates.

A senior Air India pilot told HT they had made certain minor adjustments in their flights altitude. All London-bound flights from the city were on schedule on Wednesday. But travel agents advised passengers travelling later this week to check with airlines about their flights status before leaving for the airport.

Panic calls from people on European holidays also went down on Wednesday. “People are relieved because local news channels in Europe have reported that the ash effect is mellowing down,” said a Fort-based travel agent.

More than 500 flights within Europe were cancelled over the past two days because of the natural calamity. Airline sources said that the impact of the present volcanic eruptions would not be as bad as last year. Last year, eruptions from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano had grounded more than a lakh flights disrupting air traffic for nearly two weeks.