Flights to and from Northwest Terrace Regional Airport are back to normal, experiencing only minor delays after a volcanic eruption in Russia caused widespread disruption to international air travel on Thursday.
The eruption of one of Russia’s most active volcanoes on the Kamchatka peninsula on Tuesday sent plumes of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, affecting regions as far as northwestern B.C. and Alaska.
The eruption forced the cancellation of one session of the Pacific Northwest Music Festival this morning.
Pacific Northwest Music Festival President Kelly Lima assures festival-goers that the event will be rescheduled for a later date. The cancellation occurred as adjudicators were rescheduled onto another flight this morning due to the ash cloud.
Northwest Terrace Regional Airport Manager Carman Hendry stated they do not expect any further flight cancellations, but ultimately, the decision lies with the airlines, who determine whether it is safe enough to fly.
Despite the minor delays, the airport and the Pacific Northwest Music Festival are optimistic that normal operations will resume shortly, and travellers and festival-goers can look forward to enjoying the rescheduled session without any further interruptions.