Iceland volcano eruption doesn't affect flights from Zvartnots airport

PanARMENIAN.Net - Spokesperson for Armenia International Airports CJSC Gevorg Abrahamyan said a plume of ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano has not affected the flights conducted from Zvartnots airport yet.

“Not a flight has been delayed. We do not face problems caused by the eruption of Grimsvoetn,” Abrahamyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

The tourism industry has been affected most of all. Losses of only European tour agencies are estimated to make $2.3bln.

A plume of ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano headed for Britain on May 24, forcing flight cancellations and a change in US President Barack Obama's travel plans. The eruption of Grimsvoetn has raised concerns over a repeat of last year's travel chaos sparked by the eruption of another Icelandic volcano which led to the biggest shutdown of European airspace since World War II.

In fact, it is the most powerful eruption in more than a century from the volcano - located at the heart of the country's biggest glacier, Vatnajoekull in southeastern Iceland - with its plume initially reaching a height of 20 kilometres (12 miles). On May 22, the plume stood at around 10 kilometers, slightly above the peak of last year's eruption ash column from Eyjafjoell.