Kiwis told to prepare for volcano eruptions

Volcanoes in New Zealand will produce the same kind of violent eruption witnessed in Chile, which scientists say is a timely warning for Kiwis to consider their preparedness.

GNS vulcanologist Graham Leonard said Ruapehu, Tongariro and Taranaki were all capable of producing eruptions with as much force as Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano.

New Zealand volcanoes erupted more frequently because of the type they were, he said. "All likelihoods are that we will all see multiple eruptions in our lifetimes," Dr Leonard said.

Ash fallout from a nearby volcano could, at less than one millimetre thick, irritate the lungs and eyes, and people should be prepared to wear dust masks and goggles after an eruption.

Dr Leonard said ash from Chile presented no health risks to New Zealanders. The only risks were to aviation.

New South Wales university senior adjunct lecturer and aircraft maintenance expert Peter Marosszeky said volcanic ash had "disastrous consequences" on aircraft that flew into such clouds.

Dry ash acted as a sandpaper-like abrasive on all exterior parts of an aircraft. "In addition, it will choke up the sensitive ports within the engines and block them, as well as melting in the turbine area and forming an undesirable coating not dissimilar to glass."

The ash would form a glass-like coating and destroy some aerodynamic characteristics, he said.

Qantas and Jetstar are continuing to insist the ash cloud drifting over New Zealand poses too much of a safety risk to fly, as more passengers are left stranded.

The two airlines again cancelled all trans-Tasman flights yesterday and Jetstar cancelled domestic New Zealand flights, as the ash cloud continued to drift over the country.

But Air New Zealand continues to operate flights, and yesterday said it had carried more than 50,000 passengers since the cloud arrived in New Zealand airspace on Sunday.

Captain David Morgan, Air New Zealand general manager of airline operations and its chief pilot, said the national carrier was working closely with the MetService and Civil Aviation Authority to determine safe flight paths to avoid the ash.

"The authorities are providing excellent information about the ash, which is at high altitude and very predictable in its movement.

"By adjusting cruising altitudes of our aircraft we are able to continue to safely deliver customers to their destinations.

"Lower cruising altitudes mean we need to burn around 10 per cent more fuel than normal, but we don't believe that's a reason to stop flying when there are perfectly safe flight paths available below the level of the ash," he said.
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Emirates, Virgin Blue, Singapore Airlines, Air Asia X, Air Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific and Korean Air were all offering international services yesterday.

Weatherwatch's Philip Duncan expressed surprise some airlines were still not flying, since they could safely avoid the cloud. "It does seem strange that one airline can fly and another can't."

- The Dominion Post