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Johannesburg - South African Airways (SAA) has had to cancel
two flights as a result of a volcanic ash cloud from a volcano in Chile that
has spread to Western Australia.
The airline has one daily flight to Perth from Johannesburg, and cancelled Tuesday's and Wednesday's flights.
SAA spokesperson Diloseng Koetle confirmed to Fin24 that the
airline has had to cancel the flights from Johannesburg.
"At this stage we've cancelled today's flight and we
cancelled the one last night as well," she said.
Koetle said the flights were cancelled because the
airline is taking a cautious approach and wants to ensure passengers'
safety.
"We're monitoring the situation closely and will advise
passengers as soon as anything changes."
Seventeen international carriers fly into Perth, including
SAA. Most of these have opted to cancel flights into the Western Australian
city.
Flights to and from New Zealand have also been severely
affected. The fallout from the eruption of the Puyehue volcano - high in the
Peruvian Andes - has now entered its fourth day. Earlier reports described the ash cloud as becoming "lower, denser, and more
dangerous" in the Perth airspace.
The latest eruption has caused massive disruption to air
travel in the region. It follows a similar incident in 2010, when an Icelandic
volcano closed down much of European airspace following a massive ash cloud.
Koetle said it was too early to tell when flights to
Australia will resume.
"Passengers who have been affected will be accommodated
and are able to apply for a rebooking. Any affected passengers should contact
SAA or their travel agents."
