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A cloud of volcanic ash from Chile has forced the cancellation of more than 60 New Zealand flights, leaving 7000 passengers stranded - and more travel chaos is expected this week.
The Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano is still spewing ash into the atmosphere, and the Civil Aviation Authority said there was no immediate end in sight to the disruptions.
Plumes of ash began sweeping over the South Island and Wellington on Saturday evening at cruising level for jet and turboprop aircraft (6000-10,000m).
The particles turned the evening sky a deep, hazy red over the South Island last night and were expected to cover the entire country by 6 this morning.
Yesterday, Qantas grounded 29 domestic and transtasman flights, affecting around 1500 people. About 8000 Qantas passengers are expected to be affected in coming days.
A Qantas spokeswoman said all the airline's flights in and out of Melbourne and Auckland were grounded from 8pm (NZT) last night. All flights to and from Tasmania and Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington had already been cancelled.
Jetstar was forced to cancel 42 flights yesterday. Around 5000 passengers were offered a full refund or given the option of a later flight.
Jetstar passenger Anita Hollands, who was returning to Christchurch from Auckland, said she would be forced to spend three times her original airfare to get home.
"We think we will have to change airlines and pay $300 more, each, if we want to get away tomorrow. And we don't know if this will happen again and again.
"It's weird to think a volcano in South America can stop a small flight in New Zealand. It's frustrating, but what can you do? It's not the airline's fault."
Virgin Airlines and Emirates also cancelled some transtasman travel.
Air New Zealand did not cancel any flights yesterday. The general manager of airline operations and safety, David Morgan, said its planes were travelling below the ash, at 5500m, and pilots were adjusting their courses when needed.
"We won't operate in ash, but we are confident in the modelling of [MetService's volcanic ash advisory centre in Wellington]. On that basis, we'll keep flying. And none of the pilots reported today that they've seen any ash in the sky."
Unlike overseas aviation authorities, the CAA does not have the power to ground planes, and can only advise airlines.
The current plume of ash is expected to intrude on airspace for a week, affecting more flights and thousands of passengers.
CAA spokesman Bill Sommer said the volcano was still ejecting particles, so further plumes could shroud the country until the eruption was over.
Civil Aviation meteorologist Peter Lechner told NZPA the cloud could be over most of the North Island by this morning, which would affect airline operations.
To people on the ground the ash particles, which were finer than house dust, would appear as high, thin cloud.
"You can imagine how much volume of air is being sucked through a jet engine. You can accrue a lot of ash, and the turbine blades are very hot so it just sticks to the blades, melts and builds up and eventually stalls the engine."
The ash was at an altitude of between 6000m and 10,700m. Jets normally cruised between 8000m and 9800m, and turboprops operated at between 5500m and 6100m.
When the volcano first erupted on June 4, ash was thrust 15,000m into the air, which meant the particles travelled through the stratosphere without being broken up by weather patterns.
It has since travelled 9000km over Argentina, Uruguay, South Africa and Australasia and is expected to circumnavigate the globe by the end of the week.
New Zealand is particularly vulnerable to the plumes because it lies on the same latitude as Chile. The westerly band of trade winds known as the "Roaring Forties" moves quickly, because there is little land south of 40 degrees. These winds have pushed the ash cloud directly towards New Zealand before it has had time to diffuse.
The volcanic ash can lead to a loss of thrust or engine failure - known as "flame-out" - on planes.
The ash can also wear down engine parts and clog fuel and cooling systems.
