Second ash cloud may threaten Australia

SYDNEY (AAP) - June 13 - A second volcanic ash cloud could drift across south eastern Australia within the next two days, with the potential to cause further disruptions to airline schedules.
Thousands of passengers have been stranded around Australia and in New Zealand as a volcanic ash plume from a Chilean volcano forced the cancellations of hundreds of flights.
Supervising meteorologist at the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in Darwin, Gordon Jackson, said the cloud currently over Victoria and Tasmania would remain for the next 12 to 36 hours.
"It's in an area where there is very little wind therefore it's not going to be moving northward, so (it will be) moving to the east and to the west and spreading out a bit," he told AAP.
Mr Jackson said the centre was monitoring a second ash plume hovering over the ocean south of Australia.
"It depends on how the wind is moving. It may actually be brought up over Tasmania and Victoria in 48 hours," he said.
Virgin Australia, which has resumed its flights out of Melbourne, Tasmania and New Zealand, would be flying planes under the ash cloud, which is 8.5 kilometres high, Mr Jackson said.
The ash cloud over south eastern Australia was similar to the one from a volcanic eruption in Iceland earlier this year, which sent European airports into chaos.
"But it's actually travelled a lot further, it's travelled halfway around the world already," Mr Jackson said.
"Because it has been up in the air for over a week, this ash, we are not seeing as much possibility of ash falling down underneath the cloud."
Engineer and aircraft maintenance expert Peter Marosszeky said the volcanic ash was like sandpaper that could choke up a plane's engine.
"Volcanic ash in the air has disastrous consequences on aircraft that fly through the cloud," he said.
"The dry nature of ash, mainly pumice stone, acts as an abrasive on all exterior parts of the aircraft."