Air NZ Cancelled Flights: Gisborne Flights Affected by Whakaari Ash Cloud.

The White Island Volcano in New Zealand recently erupted, sending a massive plume of ash into the sky and compelling the affected airline, Air New Zealand, to cancel its flights on Thursday and Friday. 

 Air New Zealand's chief operational integrity and safety officer, Captain David Morgan, stated that the airline is:

“Continuing to monitor the movement of ash cloud from Whakaari/White Island.” 

Nevertheless, the Government also released a notification warning that Whakaari could continue for “weeks to months’ to come.  

Background. 

The White Island is nestled around 50 KM off New Zealand’s North Island and 200 km from Auckland. In the year 2019, a massive eruption of ash and steam occurred killed 22 people who were on their way to visit the Island. 

Captain David Morgan stated, “The safety of our people and customers is our top priority, and we will continue to monitor conditions closely.” 

It implies the precautions to eliminate any probability of human loss or property damage while carrying the carrier through the hit route. 

Current Reports. 

Despite an official notification stating that Whakaari could continue for “weeks to months” to come, the Satellite Images depicted “minor eruptive activity” that began earlier this month. It was claimed to be part of the “typical eruptive cycles” that occurred on Whakaari. 

Minor Volcanic Eruption. 

The Aviation Colour Code was raised to Orange, referring to the eruption that was underway with no or minor ash emission. The GNS Science Volcanologist remarked:

“As we have no sensors on the island we are relying on webcams and satellite imagery to assess the situation. If there was, it would be unlikely to reach the mainland under current wind conditions.” 

What Ash Does?

The Iceland volcano eruption in Newzealand has led to massive plumes of ash in the sky, and Dr. Adrian Pittari explains it is “the Fine ‘dusty’ volcanic glass and rock particles carried within the eruption plumes, that rise into the atmosphere and then downwind by air currents.” 

“It can also interfere with electrical and computer systems, infiltrate cabin space and reduce visibility.” 

Ongoing Situation. 

The professor of Volcanology, Dr Shane Cronin, said that if this magnitude of eruption continues, this level of activity is expected to remain “annoying” for a little longer. 

Ash can infect computer systems and minimize visibility, which can cause flight accidents. To reduce this, Air NZ cancelled flights.  Although, New Zealand officials released the volcanic alert level earlier this month to three.