Alaskan Volcano Could Erupt, Disrupt International Air Travel
Officials are monitoring a remote Alaska volcano that could launch an ash cloud, potentially threatening intercontinental flights.
“Eruptive activity” of Cleveland Volcano was detected in satellite data, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
The volcano, also known as Mount Cleveland, is on the Aleutian Islands, southwest of mainland Alaska.
“A new lava dome has been observed in the summit crater,” the observatory said Tuesday. “There have been no observations of ash emissions or explosive activity during this current lava eruption.”
But the volcanic activity could heighten and affect air travel, said Steve McNutt, a scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
McNutt said 90% of air freight from Asia to Europe and North America flies over Alaska air space, and hundreds of flights — including more than 20,000 passengers — fly through Anchorage’s air space daily.