Airlines are on the alert as one of Iceland's biggest volcanoes rumbles to life, threatening ash clouds that could force flight cancellations across the North Atlantic, the busiest international travel market.
Air France, Deutsche Lufthansa and Delta Air Lines are among carriers watching Bardarbunga volcano for an eruption.
Concerns were raised of a repeat of the 2010 disruptions when an ash cloud from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano forced carriers to cancel more than 100000 flights and lose more than R18-billion in revenue. Ash is a menace to jetliners because the glass-like particles damage engines by melting and congealing.
"It's still impossible to say whether or not the volcano will erupt, due to the simple fact that we can't predict ... the developments in the next hours or days," said Martin Hensch, a seismologist at the Icelandic Meteorological Office.
Air-traffic manager Eurocontrol said: "Europe is more prepared to deal with volcanic ash these days. We have better mechanisms in place than we did in 2010."
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