Airports in Argentina and Uruguay were severely disrupted and halted operations yesterday after Chile’s Cordon Caulle volcano pumped ash into the atmosphere, creating clouds that have drifted over the Andes and which local geologists say could continue to disrupt flights if the volcano remains active.

Flights to and from Buenos Aires’ Jorge Newbery Metropolitan Airport and Ezeiza International were cancelled yesterday, only a day after approximately 150 flights to and from Argentina and Uruguay were cancelled by various airlines.

The disruption to air travel has proved extremely serious following the initial eruption of the volcano on Satruday June 4, which closed the regional Argentinean airport of Bariloche.

The authorities in Argentina and Uruguay are now concerned that continued volcanic activity could disrupt air travel for days, or even weeks. All of which has come as some surprise to Chilean geologists who say that the volcano has remained dormant for decades – until now.

Strong winds were responsible for blowing the ash cloud over Argentina, grounding most flights from all of its airports, while flights from Chile, which are normally routed through Argentinean air space, were also cancelled.