Chilean ash cloud disrupts New Zealand-Australian flights

A cloud of ash from an erupting volcano in Chile has drifted over the Atlantic and Indian oceans to lie over southern parts of New Zealand and Australia, prompting the cancellation of dozens of flights on Sunday.
Australian carrier Qantas Airways cancelled 56 flights, including all operations out of Melbourne and the New Zealand hub of Auckland. "Qantas will continue to monitor the movement of the ash cloud and its impact on further operations," Qantas said. The airline, it said, had "significant experience in managing and assessing the impact of volcanic ash on flight operations".
Air New Zealand had earlier said it was flying at lower altitudes and altering flight paths to avoid the ash, and did not anticipate any disruption.
The volcano in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain in Chile has been erupting for the past week, throwing air travel in South America into chaos, as it spewed ash high into the atmosphere.