Alaska News

PenAir cancels flights as Pavlof Volcano continues to puff smoke

PenAir grounded about a dozen flights – nearly half of its daily operations – Sunday and Monday after the wind shifted and ash from the erupting Pavlof volcano disrupted flight paths to nearby communities on the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian chain.

Passenger and cargo flights to King Salmon, Dillingham, Cold Bay, King Cove, Sand Point and Unalaska were canceled through Monday afternoon.

Flight cancellations due to volcanic activity happen a few times a year, PenAir CEO Danny Seybert said Monday. "It's not unusual."

What is unusual is the wind's direction, which shifted to the northeast on Sunday. Generally wind direction flows to the Southeast or Northwest, he said.

Seybert expects the wind will shift back soon, and they may resume normal operations by Tuesday.

Background: ALASKA'S BIGGEST VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

Trace amounts of ash were reported in the community of Nelson Lagoon, 48 miles Northeast of the volcano, the Alaska Volcano Observatory reported on Monday. AVO writes: "Depending on wind direction, trace to minor amounts of ash may fall on nearby communities, including Sand Point, Nelson Lagoon, King Cove and Cold Bay."

Pavolf is an 8,261-foot peak on the Alaska Peninsula about 30 miles northeast of the community of King Cove, a frequently active volcano that last erupted in 2007. Since rumbling to life on May 13 and has since continued to spit lava and spew ash 20,000 feet in the air, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a "Significant Meterological Event" warning, called a SIGMET, alerting pilots of hazardous conditions in the area.

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Jeff Freymueller, coordinating scientist at the AVO, said Thursday that there's no way of predicting how long the eruptions will last. "It certainly could last months," he said. "At this point we're assuming that it's going to be at least weeks."

Contact Laurel Andrews at laurel(at)alaskadispatch.com

Laurel Andrews

Laurel Andrews was a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Dispatch News and Alaska Dispatch. She left the ADN in October 2018.

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