In a surprise development, with no advance warning, flights from Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London have been cancelled since this afternoon due to the ash cloud, caused by the eruption of the Puyehue volcano in Chile, having reached the Cape. A strong cold front, driven by strong west winds ahead of a bad weather system, is heading to the Cape.

Most impressive is the media release sent by Cape Town Routes Unlimited, at 21h14 this evening!   This is what Calvyn Gilfellan, CEO of the company, wrote:

“Western Cape tourism and travel industry monitors impacts of ash cloud closely  

Tourism stakeholders, led by the MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism will visit the Cape Town International Airport tomorrow to assess the impact of an ash cloud over Cape Town airspace. The group will also talk to affected passengers to find it if they are comfortable and if their needs are being met. 

According to the Civil Aviation Authority, the ash cloud originated from a volcano in Chile. Flights in and out of Cape Town International, Port Elizabeth and East London airports were cancelled.  

Alan Winde, Finance, Economic Development and Tourism MEC, says that both South African Airways and British Airways delayed some of their flights today: “I want to assure travellers that all tourism and travel industry role-players are attending to the situation and putting measures in place that will minimise the impact on travellers and the Western Cape tourism industry and we are monitoring the situation closely.” 

Calvyn Gilfellan, Cape Town Routes Unlimited CEO, echoes these sentiments: “Airports Company South Africa and the Air Traffic and Navigation Services Company are monitoring the situation very closely and will update travellers as and when new information becomes available.  All indications are that the cloud will move past very swiftly and air traffic will return to normality.” 

Airports Company South Africa has advised all passengers travelling within the next few days to contact their airlines in order to confirm their flight details”. 

POSTSCRIPT 19/6: The flight ban over the Cape, including Cape Town, has been lifted.  Some flights have been delayed, due to the flight cancellations since yesterday afternoon.   

POSTSCRIPT 20/6:  The following media release was sent by Cape Town Routes Unlimited today: 

 

Flights in and out of Cape Town International Airport [CTIA] returned to schedule today as the ash cloud created by a recent volcanic eruption in Chile passed over.  The ash cloud forced several operators to either cancel or delay flights over the weekend.  Western Cape Tourism Minister, Alan Winde, was informed of the possible disruption to flight schedules in the southern hemisphere two weeks ago: “Shortly after the Puyehue volcano erupted, the General Manager of the CTIA informed me that the ash cloud may affect flights in and out of Cape Town.  It passed south of us the first time around, circled the globe, and entered our airspace the second time around after being pushed north by the cold front.”  The General Manager of CTIA, Deon Cloete, said: “In total, around 13 departing and 12 arriving flights were affected.  We immediately deployed additional ground staff to assist passengers with information and to provide support to the airlines. We also increased staff at the security check point in order to make sure people pass through quickly once the flights were back up and running.  Through our Airport Management Centre’s at the three main international airports, we ensured that all parties took decisions in a collaborative manner and were able to quickly respond as and when required.”  The airlines made every effort to alert passengers about cancelled or delayed flights, and arranged hotel accommodation for affected passengers where necessary.  Currently there are no active warnings relating to the ash cloud, however the relevant authorities are monitoring the situation closely in the event of any alerts. Minister Winde said: “Our first priority is for the safety of travellers.  Because it passed so quickly, and was excellently handled by the staff at the CTIA, the ash cloud will have a minimal impact on our tourism economy.  I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Deon Cloete and all his ground staff for working around the clock this weekend to make sure that affected passengers were accommodated and comfortable – the airport operates as well during incidents as it does during major events. Operations at the airport have returned to normal and we look forward to welcoming travellers and tourists to the Western Cape.” 

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  twitter: @WhaleCottage