Volcanic ash from Saturday's eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai underwater volcano has disrupted flight schedules in and out of Fiji. Some traffic was back online on Monday afternoon local time. However, weather services predict that the cloud will head towards northern Australia, and we may not have seen the last of disruptions to flight schedules in the Pacific.
Latest in a series of eruptions
The tiny Polynesian kingdom of Tonga - population 105,697 - does not often show up on the global news radar. However, following a violent eruption of an underwater volcano on January 15th, the world's eyes quickly turned to this remote corner of the Pacific, southwest of Fiji.
The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano has erupted regularly over the past decade. In late 2014 and early 2015, eruptions even created a small new island and caused some disruptions to international flights.
However, no incident came close to the scale of the one this Saturday, which prompted tsunami warnings and evacuation orders throughout most of the Pacific Islands. Furthermore, airlines have been forced to cancel flights from Australia to Fiji due to huge volcanic ash clouds.
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Tracking movement of ash cloud
Anyone stranded in airports due to the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull knows what havoc ash from volcanoes can wreak on flight schedules. At first, Fiji Airways canceled all services for Monday, along with those of its domestic and regional branch, Fiji Link (previously known as Pacific Sun).
“The decision follows extensive operational assessments (on January 16) after receiving updates from authorities in the region regarding the movement of the volcanic ash cloud. Fiji Airlines and Fiji Link thank the travelers for their understanding and reiterate that the safety of our guests and crew is of paramount importance,” the airline said in a statement.
Flights back in the air as of late Monday
However, in its latest update, the airline said it would begin operating again on Monday afternoon, with additional services from Sydney and Melbourne for those whose flights were affected on Sunday. Flight radar services show flights have indeed both taken off and landed, without any significant visible adjustments to flight paths. Fiji Airways only re-commenced international flights on December 1st last year following pandemic-related travel restrictions.
The ash cloud is forecast to spread out over much of northern Australia. Thus far, Virgin Australia and Qantas subsidiary low-cost carrier Jetstar have also canceled operations to Nadi, Fiji's international airport and regional hub for other Pacific Islands.
New Zealand hoping to fly in water
The Australian and New Zealand air forces sent out reconnaissance missions on Monday to assess the situation, previously prohibited by the prevalence of the ash cloud. New Zealand hopes to send supplies, including drinking water, to Tonga on Tuesday via military aircraft. Communication on the ground remains challenging due to damage to infrastructure, but the island is reportedly covered in a blanket of ash, polluting local water supplies.
Have your travels ever been affected by a volcanic eruption? Leave a comment below and share your experience.