Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of increased volcanic activity in Iceland on aviation.

The Department of Transport maintains regular engagement with the Met Office who informs the Department of the type of volcanic activity and likelihood of eruption taking place in Europe. Over the past week, seismic activity at Reykjanes has reduced. The Met Offices’ current assessment of the Reykjanes volcano is that if an eruption were to happen this would be effusive (lava and gas dominant as opposed to ash-rich), similar to previous eruptions taken place in 2022 and 2023. Therefore, it would have a minimum impact on aviation.

In addition, the Department maintains regular engagement with NATS, CAA, Met Office, and UK airports, to understand the potential impacts of an eruption and existing contingencies in place to manage disruption to passengers and operations.