Milan airports re-open, Munich closes
Ash cloud moves north of Switzerland
Update 5 – 9 May, 22:13 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Airports in Europe were opening and closing like doors Sunday, as the latest volcanic ash emission from Iceland wreaked havoc Sunday. Spanish and Portuguese airspace was mostly open by Sunday evening and airports that closed briefly in Italy re-opened as the cloud moved north.
Switzerland was spared and airports remained open but by late Sunday Munich had closed as the cloud moved north to Germany. A MeteoSwiss spokesperson told AP that rain Sunday night would “wash out the cloud by Monday morning.”
Nevertheless, the Swiss Civil Aviation Office has ordered pilots to visually check for any signs of ash after each flight, and all airlines must have specialists thoroughly check aircraft at the end of each day for any signs of volcanic ash residue, as a precautionary measure. The Office notes that depending on volcanic activity in the next few days, it’s possible that airspace will need to be closed again.
Flights from Switzerland to Nice in southern France, Spain and Portugal were canceled for part of the weekend. By mid-morning Sunday Easyjet had canceled or delayed all its Geneva flights, including those between Geneva and London. The Cannes Film Festival, which opens Wednesday 12 May, but it now appears unlikely it will be affected, although national weather services remain on alert for changes.
The BBC reports that hundreds of transatlantic flights to Europe were canceled or delayed.