An ash cloud created after the eruption of an Eritrean volcano has dissipated from Egypt's airspace, Egypt's Meteorological Department said Wednesday.
The Nabro volcano in Eritrea erupted over the weekend, and Egyptian civil aviation authorities on Tuesday said its ash cloud had reached the Abu Simbel tourist area in southern Egypt.
Meteorological Authority Adviser Ali Qotb said a change in wind direction helped guide the ash cloud toward the Horn of Africa, away from the countries it was originally expected to reach.
Qotb told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the effects of the volcanic ash cloud were still strong in central and southern Sudan, but had dissipated from northern Sudan, including Khartoum.
The meteorological authority sent a report to the Civil Aviation Authority to show that Egyptian and northern Sudanese airspaces were clear, and that there were no longer any threats to flights, Qotb said.
Based on this report, a SunAir flight carrying 130 passengers took off for Khartoum on Wednesday at dawn, following a 24-hour delay caused by the ash cloud.
Egypt Air Chairman Ayman Nasr said after receiving confirmation from meteorological authorities, the company announced that it had resumed its flights to some African cities, including Khartoum.
He pointed out that flights to Lagos, Addis Ababa and Asmara would be delayed until the ash cloud over these areas dissipates.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
