Many flights were canceled in New Zealand due to ash spewing after the eruption of the White Island volcano, which is located 200 kilometers from Auckland, the country’s most populous city.

This morning due to the presence of volcanic ash in the atmosphere, Air New Zealand was forced to cancel 10 flights, the company announced. A representative said shortly afterwards that the ash had cleared and flights had begun to resume.

The “killer” Whakaari

In 2019, 22 people died when the White Island volcano, called Whakaari in Maori, erupted.

Since then, access to White Island has been prohibited, a measure that negatively affects the work of experts monitoring the volcano’s activity.

According to satellite images, mild volcanic activity began on White Island earlier in August, research institute GNS Science announced.

The event is part of the volcano’s “typical eruption cycles” and “this activity may continue for some time, for weeks or even months,” the institute said.

New Zealand earlier this month raised its volcano alert level to level three on a five-point scale.