Volcanic Ash Causes Airport Chaos

Almost 150 flights have been cancelled at Heathrow and Gatwick today as well as many more across the UK as airports close due to a volcanic ash cloud making it’s way from Iceland and crossing the UK.

The ash cloud which resulted from the second eruption in a month in the Eyjafjallajoekull of Iceland, has reached 55,000ft and is thought to be in British Airspace between Midday and 6pm this evening.

The National Air Traffic Control Service (NATS) took the decision to lockdown British Airports and prevent flights entering or leaving British airspace due to the potential damage the tiny particles of sand, glass and rock can cause to the engines of commercial airliners.

British Airways have said that they are cancelling all domestic flights and customers can either rebook or obtain a refund.

Travellers are advised to contact their airline before leaving home.

If you have booked Airport Hotels or Airport Parking at Gatwick or any other UK travel hub and will be affected by today’s flight cancellations then please contact FHR and we will advise the best course of action for your chosen hotel or car park. Normally travellers can rebook for a new trip.

Useful Links:

Gatwick Airport

Heathrow Airport

Airline Contact Details

Author: Graham Greenaway

Graham Greenaway has worked in the family business since 1994. Having taken a break to attend University in Hertfordshire, Graham returned to FHR after graduating and became involved with creating the first version of the company website and later moved on to manage the on-line Marketing side of the business as well as the Web Development team. Away from FHR, Graham enjoys visiting the gym and socialising with friends. Follow Graham on Twitter

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 15th, 2010 at 10:37 am and is filed under Airports, Gatwick, Heathrow, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.