As one volcano calms, another looks set to erupt, threatening more misery for air travellers.
Experts say one of Iceland’s most feared volcanoes, Hekla, is showing signs that it could blow, raising fears of a new ash cloud halting flights.
The Hekla volcano – once dubbed the Gateway to Hell – is close to Eyjafjoell, which last year affected more than 100,000 flights and eight million passengers when it erupted and sent an ash plume across Europe.
The Iceland Civil Protection Authority said it was closely monitoring the situation at Hekla.
“The movements around Hekla have been unusual in the last two to three days,” said University of Iceland geophysicist, Pall Einarsson.
“While this might not necessarily mean an immediate blast, the volcano is ready to erupt,†he said.
Another geophysicist told AFP, “Something is going on, but if or when the volcano erupts is unclear.”
The Puyehue volcano in Chile began erupting on June 4, with its ash plume twice disrupting flights in Australia and New Zealand over a period of weeks.
