Iceland, again

By N.B. | MADRID

NOT ALL volcanic eruptions are alike. Just over a year ago, Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano massively disrupted air travel across Europe and the North Atlantic, leaving 10 million travellers stranded. Now Grimsvötn, Iceland's most active volcano, is having its moment in the news. This time, there's a no-fly zone with a radius of 220 km surrounding the eruption. But if you're not in the immediate area (and not planning on flying to Europe via Iceland), there's simply not much to worry about. Gudjon Helgason of the Associated Press explains:

Isavia, the company that operates and develops all airport facilities and air navigation services in Iceland, described [the no-fly zone] as standard procedure around eruptions. "The plume of smoke has reached jet flying altitude and plans have been made for planes flying through Icelandic air control space to fly southwardly tonight," said Hjordis Gudmundsdottir, the spokeswoman for Isavia.

Grimsvötn last erupted in 2004. Scientists have been expecting a new eruption and have said previously that this volcano's eruption will likely be small and should not lead to the air travel chaos caused in April 2010 by ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano. History shows that previous eruptions in Grimsvötn have not had much influence on flight traffic—unlike the massive disruption caused last year.