The earth is at its most restless in Iceland right now. A volcano is erupting on the Reykjanes peninsula, southwest of Reykjavik.
For six weeks the Icelandic authorities have been monitoring seismic activity close to Keflavik airport, a major North Atlantic aviation hub.
The eruption is around 10 miles southwest of the airport and northeast of the town of Grindavik – whose 4,000 inhabitants were evacuated as a precaution.
Yet flights are continuing to arrive and depart as normal. These are the key questions and answers on consumer rights.
I am in Iceland. Will I be able to leave?
Yes, assuming the international airport remains open. So far operations have been largely normal, after a pause to assess the risk as the eruption began. An easyJet departure to Manchester due out early evening on Monday eventually took off at 1.35am on Tuesday, over five hours late, and arrived safely at Manchester airport at 4am.
Passengers were told: “We’re sorry that your flight has been delayed. This is because volcanic activity in Keflavik (KEF) is causing restrictions to the areas in which aircraft are permitted to fly. The safety of you and our crew is our highest priority and we thank you for your patience.”
On Tuesday most flights are running normally.
You may be keen to leave earlier than booked, in order to guarantee your getaway, but at present you will not be able to switch flights without paying a penalty.
The Foreign Office has not updated its advice for weeks, after the seismic activity in the area began.
Earlier earthquakes struck just 10 miles south of Iceland’s main airport, Keflavík International Airport, but the UK Foreign Office said travel can go ahead
(Vafri.is)
But didn’t an Icelandic volcano shut down European aviation for a week?
Yes. Travellers may remember where they were in April 2010, when the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted. The skies of northern Europe completely closed to passenger aviation for almost a week.
A quarter of a billion cubic metres of volcanic ash was ejected and was carried southeast towards the UK and Continental Europe by the breeze. The fear was that volcanic ash could damage jet engines and potentially bring down aircraft. In the biggest shutdown of aviation since the Second World War, 50,000 flights were cancelled and eight million passengers had their travel plans wrecked.
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