Popocatepetl Blows Its Top: Dozens Of Flights Grounded

Credit:AFP

Dozens of flights into Mexico City have been cancelled due to the ash and steam spewing out of the Popocatepetl volcano. The eruption has been ongoing for a few days but increased in intensity during the last 12 hours.

The volcano is located 40 miles southeast of Mexico City and a 7 mile exclusion zone has been put in place. The National Disaster Prevention Center has issued a statement saying tremors have been ongoing for the past 12 hours. (Source)

The alert status is still at yellow phase 3, one below full evacuation status.

At least 6 US airlines have cancelled flights as a precautionary measure. The risk to aircraft is that the fine volcanic ash, which has a high silicon content, will get into the engines where it causes major damage and has in the past knocked out aircraft engines.

Flight delays cost airlines millions of dollars a year. Not only is having a plane stuck on the tarmac expensive but repeated cancellations result in planes being in the ‘wrong’ places at the wrong time which causes further chaos.

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