Air traffic in Argentina will
remain suspended this Friday on account of the presence of volcanic ash after
the eruption of Puyehue volcano in Chile.

Passengers wait at the Ezeiza International Airport near Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 10, 2011. International and domestic airports in the capital city remained closed for the second day on Friday, due to the safety concerns over the ash cloud from the eruption of the Chilean volcano Puyehue. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)

Local authorities agreed on this
measure and commercial air transport came to a halt for “safety reasons.”

The Transport Ministry said that the
volcanic ashes cloud “is spreading on Buenos Aires metropolitan area,” adding
“there will still be flight cancellations at the Ezeiza international airport
and the metropolitan airport,” as it happened in the last four days.

“Given that the volcano’s emission
has been lessening, it is expected that the ash cloud will leave Buenos Aires
this afternoon and the situation at both airports will improve,” said this
ministry.

In Argentina, all flights make a
stop at Buenos Aires, even those flights between remote cities in the country,
and this is the reason why the air space is closed as terminals in Ezeiza the
Metropolitan Airport do not operate.

Austral, Aerolineas Argentinas and
LAN Argentina airline companies confirmed on Friday morning that flights are
canceled until security conditions are in place to continue the service.

LAN Argentina said that 26 national
services and 25 international flights have been canceled, and that services will
remain suspended until 3:00 p.m. (1800 GMT) at least.

The Puyehue volcano, about 2,240
meters high, is located in the Andes mountains in southern Chile. The eruption
caused volcanic ash fall in the southern provinces of Argentina, a phenomenon
which has moved its way to the central part of the country, Uruguay and the
south of Brazil because of the changing wind direction.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet