White Island volcano eruption disrupts air travel in New Zealand

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - An ongoing eruption at Whakaari/White Island volcano in New Zealand caused significant air travel disruptions in the Bay of Plenty region on Thursday, according to local media.

National carrier Air New Zealand reported that 10 flights were canceled as volcanic ash drifted across flight paths at some domestic airports, according to New Zealand-based 1news.

Two outbound flights and one inbound flight were canceled at Rotorua Airport while Tauranga Airport saw two outbound and two inbound flights canceled, with at least three outbound flights significantly delayed, the media outlet reported.

GNS Science, New Zealand's geoscience research institute, detected a new vent on White Island earlier in August. The volcano has been experiencing a minor eruption for several weeks, emitting increased volcanic ash. The situation escalated on Thursday due to northerly winds pushing the ash towards the mainland, according to the report.

By 11:30 a.m. local time (2330GMT) flights in and out of Tauranga Airport had resumed normal operations, 1News said.

This eruption comes after a fatal explosive volcanic eruption in 2019 in the same region killed and injured some visitors and guides on the island.

Whakaari/White Island is an active andesite stratovolcano situated 48 kilometers (30 miles) from the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand, in the Bay of Plenty.