Chilean Volcanic Ash Cloud
 

The Cordón Caulle Volcano in the Andes mountain range in Chile as you all have seen on TV or other media outlets has erupted, and its ash cloud has started to affect domestic and international Australian & New Zealand flights. Yesterday QF63 had to make a tech stop in Perth due to this ash cloud, and LAN and Aerolineas Argentinas flights have been severely delayed as well.

Today, JQ731 and 732 OOL-HBA-OOL have been cancelled, as the ash cloud is expected to be over Tasmania by noon today.

The Bureau of Meteorology has a regularly updated map of where the ash cloud is, in the Darwin VAAC area: http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDD65290.shtml

The Wellington VAAC also shows the ash cloud over South Island in New Zealand here: http://vaac.metservice.com/vag/1507-141-2011_8

Hopefully we won't see this affecting alot of flights in our airspace!

ABC news has just reported that All QF flights to Tasmania are canceled. JQ, VA have not decided yet if there going to cancel flights.

It has been interesting to watch the tracks that trans Tasman a/c have been taking today.

Both QF and NZ have flown tracks well north of normal. YSSY-NZWN flights have taken the normal YSSY-NZAA track as far as 200 DME NZAA then tracked to NZWN. An earlier NZCH-YSSY flight tracked to 200 DME NZAA on the NZAA-YSSY track and then joined it.

NZ175 NZAA-YPPH is tracking via YSSY. It normally tracks south of YMML.

However two SQ flights, NZAA-WSSS and NZCH-WSSS, are both tracking via YMML. SQ286 (NZAA-WSSS) normally tracks via YSSY or nearby.

Qantas have cancelled all flights out of Melbourne today that depart after 6pm

JQ have cancelled all domestic flights within New Zealand today. NZ are still flying. There was a very arrogant sounding QF/JQ spokesperson on radio not long ago stating that other airlines may take the risk of flying under the ash cloud but QF and JQ will not.

I just noticed QF17 (YSSY-SAEZ) tracked north of LHI and then over the very northern part of New Zealand, currently about 300 miles east of NZAA.

Just saw on the news that JQ have now decided to cancel all flights out of MEL from 6pm tonight too.

Just herd on the news that Melbourne Airport will be closed from 6PM. However they could have been mistaken with Jetstar cancelling their services.

I think the airport closing thing is just a media slip of the tongue. From what I hear QF, JQ and TT have suspended MEL ops. DJ were waiting for the 1730 Bureau of Meteorology update.

Looks like DJ have now cancelled all Melbourne-orginating flights. All flights from MEL to OOL have now been cancelled for the night.

Shocking! just checked the Melbourne airport website, all flights now cancelled.