Russian Volcano Eruption Prompts Flight Cancellation in Alaska

A Russian volcano eruption affected Alaska Airlines flights
Shiveluch is one of the most active volcanoes on the Kamchatka peninsula
Russia's volcano eruption spews ashes, caused mudslide warnings

Alaska Airlines said Thursday that aircraft in Alaska had been affected by a volcano erupted in Russia this week. As a safety measure, some planes were delayed because of the big ash cloud from the Shiveluch volcano.

A representative for the airline said that as of 7 a.m. in Alaska, 23 flights had been canceled, and more delays were likely. The spokesperson said that planes from and within the state were also affected.

Alaskan Flights Canceled

The manager of Northwest Regional Airport in Terrace-Kitimat, Carman Hendry, said that WestJet has also canceled flights into the airport because the planes would have to fly through the ash. In an interview on Thursday, he said, "Better down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing they were down here."

Per CTV News, Hendry noted that he doesn't know how many planes will be affected, but the airport doesn't expect any more flights to arrive for the rest of the day.

The volcano is in Kamchatka Krai, a peninsula north of Russia. It is on the Bering Sea, which splits Russia and Alaska. The Bering Straight is about 55 miles long. It is part of the land between Asia and North America that is the narrowest and can be used as a passageway.

The volcano erupted on Tuesday, sending out ash and telling planes to stay away. According to CBS News, Danila Chebrov, head of the Kamchatka branch of the Geophysical Survey, said that the ash cloud covered about 41,700 square miles and was likely to move west.

The volcano also let out lava, which melted the snow and caused a warning of mudslides. Off the coast, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 was also caused by the eruption. About 3.5 inches of ash covered some towns near the volcano. This is the most ash that has covered those villages in about 60 years.

Radio station KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska, said that US Rep. Mary Peltola was among those impacted. Her overnight flight from Honolulu to Anchorage was canceled.

Russian Volcano Eruption Update

In a statement, the Alaska Volcano Observatory said that the ash cloud has been floating over Alaska for the past few days. "This cloud is a possible threat to aviation and has caused some flights to be canceled, but no ash is expected to fall on Alaska," it said.

One of the most active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Shiveluch, began erupting early Tuesday, sending ash more than 300 miles (500 kilometers) northwest. During the biggest volcanic impact in nearly 60 years, grey volcanic dust covered several towns in Russia.

Wednesday's eruption sent a cloud of ash more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) into the air. About 1,772 miles (2,772 km) west of Anchorage is where the volcano is. Volcanic ash is sharp and pointy and has been used as an abrasive in the industrial world. As per NBC Philadelphia, a jet engine can be turned off by powdered rock.