Ash from Russian volcano forces flight cancellations in Alaska
An ash cloud passed over the Aleutian Islands and across the Bering Sea as it gathered in the Gulf of Alaska.
Partner Content
A layer of ash almost 8 inches thick has covered parts of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula after the Shiveluch volcano began erupting on April 11.
April 14 (UPI) -- Airline carriers canceled scores of flights around Alaska as ash clouds from a far eastern Russian volcano made their way across the International Date Line.
Russia's Shiveluch Volcano erupted on Tuesday, sending plumes of ash as high as 12 miles into the air. While the volcano's eruption appeared to begin slowing on Thursday, airlines took a cautious attitude.
"An ash cloud from a volcanic eruption in Russia is impacting flights in the state of Alaska," Alaska Airlines said Thursday, when it canceled 45 flights. "As a safety precaution, Alaska Airlines has canceled some flights to and from Alaska and within the state."
Grant Aviation, which conducts 28 flights daily in Alaska, canceled two flights departing from Kenai to Anchorage, and two more departing Anchorage flying to Kenai on Thursday. A fifth flight was delayed due to the ash conditions.
Lava and steam are visible during the the Shiveluch volcano's eruption on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022. Shiveluch erupted on Russia's fareastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, spewing clouds of dust 20 kilometers into the sky and covering broad areas with ash. (Yury Demyanchuk, The Russian Academy of Sciences' Vulcanology Institute via AP, File)
Smoke and ash are visible after the Shiveluch volcano erupted in Klyuchi village on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Yury Demyanchuk)
The Alaska Volcano Observatory said while the volcanic cloud has drifted into Alaskan air space, "no ashfall is expected on Alaska communities." The center said it is working with National Weather Service to see if that pattern will change.
"The airborne cloud is being tracked by the National Weather Service Alaska Aviation Weather Unit and Anchorage Volcanic Ash Advisory Center," the observatory said.
Nate Eckstein, of the Anchorage Volcanic Ash Advisory Center, said the ash passed over the Aleutian Islands and across the Bering Sea on Thursday as it gathered in the Gulf of Alaska.
He told the Anchorage Daily News that further flights could be disrupted on Friday because of continued ash.
Volcanic ash covers the ground and houses after the Shiveluch volcano's eruption in Klyuchi village on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, Tuesday, April 11, 2023. The volcano has erupted on Russia's far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. The eruption early Tuesday of Shiveluch, one of Kamchatka's most active volcanoes, spewed clouds of dust 12 miles into the sky. (Yury Demyanchuk/Russian Academy of Sciences' Volcanology Institute via AP)
Volcanic ash covers the ground and houses after the Shiveluch volcano erupted in Klyuchi village on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Yury Demyanchuk)
