Israel braces for volcanic ash cloud

Transportation Ministry: Ash may hit Israeli airspace; IAA to meet.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, AP
column of ash 311 (photo credit: Associated Press)
column of ash 311
(photo credit: Associated Press)
The volcanic ash cloud that has wreaked havoc in Europe in recent weeks could reach Israel's airspace on Monday night, the Transportation Ministry said.
In light of the concern, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Israel Airports Authority were due to hold an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon to discuss preparations for the scenario.
It came as Eurocontrol said the plume of volcanic ash that forced some airports to close and disrupted flights within Europe over the weekend had dispersed.
But another band in the mid-Atlantic was still blocking the air routes between Europe and North America. Eurocontrol said trans-Atlantic flights would have to be rerouted around it, causing delays.
On Monday morning, all airports in Europe were reported to be operating normally.
Eurocontrol said it expected approximately 28,500 flights to take place within the European area — slightly below average for this time of year.