Emirates resumes normal flights to Africa

“Due to the reduction in the level of volcanic ash from the Nabro volcano in Eritrea, flights to and from Africa are operating as per the schedule,” the airline said in an update on its website.

The Volcanic Ash Advisory Center, which advises the aviation industry about volcano eruptions, said the volcano in Eritrea began erupting early Monday. Eritrea borders Sudan, Ethiopia and Djibouti. It has a population of about 5 million people.

The volcano continued to erupt on Tuesday but with reduced intensity, with its ash cloud spreading out over Sudan and toward Saudi Arabia. The Nabro volcano began belching plumes of ash at about midnight on Sunday after a string of earthquakes.

“Emirates continues to closely monitor the movement of the volcanic ash cloud. Passengers are advised to check the flight tracker where information is updated every 5 minutes,” the airline added on its website.

Emirates was among carriers forced to cancel flights yesterday as the volcano in Eritrea erupted for a third day. Emirates had said yesterday that flights EK723 and EK724 transiting into Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital city, had been cancelled.

“Emirates continues to monitor the situation closely, and is liaising with the relevant authorities regarding the movement of the volcanic ash cloud,” it had said in a similar update on its website yesterday.

Meanwhile, other airlines including Lufthansa, Egypt Air and Ethiopian Airlines too cancelled flights yesterday owing to the ash cloud.

The eruption prompted US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to announce Monday during a visit to Ethiopia that she was cutting short a three-nation African tour.