Ash cloud grounds more Qantas flights

Qantas has been forced to cancel flights to and from Adelaide, Tasmania and New Zealand for the rest of the day as ash from the Chilean volcano continues to play havoc with airlines in Australia and New Zealand.

The carrier said passengers are being contacted and rebooked on alternative services. It added it will “seek to schedule supplementary services to help clear the backlog”.

Qantas said in a statement issued at lunchtime: “Qantas will continue to monitor the movement of the ash cloud and asses its impact on flight operations as the situation develops. The Qantas Group’s approach to flying is based on the highest standards of safety and risk assessment. Safety is always put before schedule.”

Flights to and from Melbourne are operating as normal.

Air New Zealand said its domestic and trans-Tasman flights are continuing to operate as normal. By working closely with the Civil Aviation Authority and Metservice, it is able to keep services in the air, the airline said.

“The authorities are providing excellent information about the ash which is at high altitude and very predictable in its movement,” said Captain David Morgan, Air NZ’s general manager airline operations and safety and chief pilot. “By adjusting cruising altitudes of our aircraft we are able to continue to safely deliver customers to their destinations.”

While flying at lower altitude means aircrafts burn 10% more fuel “we don’t believe that’s a reason to stop flying when there are perfectly safe flight paths available to and from New Zealand.”

Virgin Australia is operating flights as normal.

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