TUI have made further cancellations to scheduled flights to La Palma as the island’s volcano continues to cause disruption.
The operator announced that all flights to the Spanish island departing up to and including December 1 are cancelled.
For over six weeks the Cumbre Vieja volcano has been erupting, and now authorities have advised those living near the volcano to stay indoors due to the heavy ash fall.
In a statement released on Wednesday, TUI said: “Due to the ongoing situation we’ve unfortunately had to cancel all flights to La Palma departing up to and including 1 December 2021.
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“All impacted customers will be contacted directly to discuss their options.
The next scheduled flight to La Palma is 2 December 2021.
“We’d like to reassure customers due to travel to any other Canary Islands that our flights are currently operating as planned however we will continue to monitor the situation and contact them should their holiday be impacted.
“We’d like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding during this time.”
Local air quality is “extremely unfavourable” because of high levels of small particles in the air, emergency services belonging to the Canary Islands government said in a statement late on Tuesday.
All flights to and from the island have been cancelled because of the falling ash, according to Spain’s national airport authority.
With flights cancelled, some tourists who came on a sightseeing trip to witness the eruption had to wait in long lines for ferries to leave the island on Wednesday.
Madrid resident, Patricia Privado, 30, described the erupting volcano as “a spectacle of nature”.
“It is worth it,” she said of her trip. “To hear it roar, to see how the lava falls. You have to experience it.”
Leon Pena, 65, said he came from the nearby island of Fuerteventura to see what he called “something unique”.
Both said they knew flight cancellations were a possibility, but they didn’t let that deter them from traveling to La Palma.
They also saw their trips as a way of supporting the local economy by spending money on the island.
Scientists have said the eruption could last up to three months.
About 85,000 people live on La Palma. Most of the island is unaffected by the eruption.
More than 7.000 people have been evacuated from their homes due to the threat from the rivers of lava.
The molten rock has covered more than 2,463 acres of land and crushed or damaged more than 2,200 buildings.
The volcano’s constant roar and numerous earthquakes have also kept locals on edge. A magnitude 5 quake was felt in the island on Wednesday morning according to the National Geographical Institute.
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