Europe on alert for Icelandic volcano ash cloud

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REYKJAVIK, May 23 (agencies): An eruption by Iceland's most active volcano put Europe on high alert Monday as a billowing ash cloud drifted toward Scotland and threatened to shut down airports across the northern edge of the continent. Northern Europe looked set to be affected first, even though experts saw little chance of a repeat of last year's six-day travel chaos caused by the eruption of another Icelandic volcano which left thousands of people stranded across the region. The Grimsvotn volcano burst into life on Saturday, with dark plumes of smoke shooting 20 km (12 miles) into the sky, forming a bubbling mass which seeped above the clouds high over the North Atlantic island. Ash from the volcano could touch northwest Scotland as early as Monday evening, an Icelandic Met Official said. Europe's air traffic control organization has said that if volcanic emissions continued at the same rate then the cloud might reach west French airspace and north Spain on Thursday. The agency, which set up a crisis unit after bad coordination was blamed for worsening last year's crisis, said no closures outside Iceland were expected on Monday or Tuesday. Airlines as far away as Australia were monitoring the situation. Any decisions for other countries on flying restrictions will depend on wind direction and whether aviation authorities think the ash is a danger to engines. Last year, airspace had to be closed due to worries that particles could get into aircraft engines and cause accidents. Some airlines complained that authorities had been excessively cautious in imposing blanket closures last year.