Fears of ‘cascade’ of flight cancellations across Europe over ‘imminent’ Iceland volcano eruption

BRITS are warned of potential flight chaos across Europe after hundreds of earthquakes have resulted in a potential volcano eruption.

Iceland has declared a state of emergency and evacuated thousands of locals due to fears that a volcano near the town of Grindavík could erupt.

Fagradalsfjall volcano is just 10 miles south of Keflavik International Airport.

Aerial footage revealed a huge crack with billowing steam in Grindavik, splitting the Icelandic town in half.

Many holidaymakers will remember the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull back in 2010, which resulted in 100,000 flights cancelled and left tourist stranded abroad for weeks.

While experts have warned the eruption won't result in the same level of disruption, they've warned that any volcanic eruption can still cause problems for air traffic.

AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter told : "Although it does not appear that this volcano will have as major an impact to air travel across Europe as we saw back in 2010, any volcanic ash sent into the atmosphere can result in portions of air space being closed. 

“Even small differences in the specifics of a volcano eruption and resultant lava flow can result in significant changes to its environmental impacts, so travellers will need to watch out for a potential cascade of flight cancellations and delays.

“Volcanic ash, if ingested in sufficient quantities, can result in jet engine failure – a serious threat to planes."

Holidaymakers across Europe should keep an eye on their flights, even if they are not travelling near Iceland as it can still cause delays across the continent.

However, the airports on the island currently remain open with flights operating as usual.

But some tourist attractions have already closed - the popular Blue Lagoon remains shut.