April 15- Emirates Airlines cancelled many flights from Dubai to the UK after volcano eruptions in Iceland. Airspace in northern Europe, including Scotland were closed by aviation authorities ‘until further notice’ because an ashcloud from the volcanic eruption in Iceland was moving across Europe. The airline released a statement that said “Emirates continues to liaise with UK and European authorities to monitor the movement of the ash cloud.” An Emirates spokesman said the following routes flights have been cancelled: London Heathrow (EK29/030, EK03/04, and EK05/06), London Gatwick (EK09/10), Manchester (EK17/18 and EK19/20), Newcastle (EK35/36), Birmingham (EK39/40, and EK37/38), and Glasgow (EK27/28).
The Emirates statement said that passengers transiting from Dubai today are being given free hotel accommodation, and passengers yet to leave for UK destinations from other Emirates gateways across its network are being contacted by the airline’s call centers and local offices.
The UAE national carrier Etihad Airways also confirmed it was affected by the volcano eruption and will release details soon. The volcano, which lies under a glacier in Iceland, erupted for the second time in less than a month, melting ice and shooting smoke and gas in the air. A plume of steam rose at least 8 km into the air according to Iceland’s Meteorological Office.
