My flight to Switzerland this evening has been cancelled due to the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Iceland. The eruption started on the 15th, which has sent a huge cloud of ash to fall over the entire EU, and what is even more hilarious is that the eruption is still going! Apparently, the last time this volcano erupted was in 1821 and the eruption lasted for two years! 

The volcano has grounded virtually all flights to and from Europe. The aviation industry is already reporting losses of $200 million per day. Just think about the world’s economy if this volcano decides to erupt for another two years! 

In 1989, a KLM Boeing 747 that flew through a volcanic ash cloud above Alaska temporarily lost all four motors. The motors restarted at a lower altitude and the plane eventually landed safely. This event is precisely why the EU has grounded all flights. There are, however, some airlines (including KLM, Lufthansa and Air France) that have tested more than ten flights (with no passengers), reporting no issues at all in terms of danger or damage to their airplanes. 

I’m crossing my fingers that the airspace will open up tomorrow and we’ll still be able to go to Bern, Switzerland. All in all, shit happens eh?