Successful test flights flew over Europe Sunday; list of open and closed airports. Sunday, five test flights are scheduled over Europe and the first two were successful; the flights come after an ash cloud over Europe closed airports and thousands of flights around the world have been cancelled.
Sunday, Air France flew a plane from Charles de Gaulle airport and landed successfully in Toulouse in southern France with no passengers aboard. Three other test flights are scheduled Sunday, and if successful airports may re-open shortly afterwards. The skies were sunny, and pilots did not go anywhere near the ash cloud during the flight.
To see an up-to-date list of airports that are open and closed, click here.
Wednesday, a volcanic eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland created a massive ash cloud. The volcano occurred below the glacial ice in Iceland and the cold water chilled the lava very quickly and created small pieces of glass that were carried up into the ash cloud.
It is dangerous for an engine of an airplane to fly near the ash because the small pieces of glass may cause engine failure. As a result, airports are closed and over 16,000 flights in Europe have been cancelled. Travelers have been stranded on six continents around the world.
To see photos of the massive Iceland ash cloud, click here.
If you enjoyed this article, please click on the subscribe button above to receive emails when this examiner publishes new articles.
Sources: BBC and CTV Ottawa
Other articles from this examiner:
Ash cloud over Europe leaves travelers stranded; list of airport closures (photos)
Video: Over 16,000 flights cancelled worldwide after volcano erupts in Iceland
Iceland evacuates residents and Heathrow grounds flights after volcano erupts (video and photo)
6.9-magnitude earthquake hits Qinghai, China (see map, video and photos)
North Korea to host the 2012 Nuclear Summit, and the UK agrees to dispose of all nuclear weapons
Video: Poland mourns as Kaczynski’s body is brought back after plane crash
Video: Polish President Lech Kaczynski and wife die in plane crash
Mexico earthquake damage estimated at over $300 million, California at $100 million (photos)
Comments