SYDNEY (AFP) ? Travel chaos from the Chile ash cloud spread to Western Australia on Wednesday with Virgin Australia and Qantas suspending flights into and out of Perth.
But as the fallout from the eruption of the Puyehue volcano, high in the Andes, entered a fourth day, there was better news for passengers flying to and from Adelaide, with Qantas, Jetstar and Tiger resuming services.
Qantas though again cancelled all flights to New Zealand and the southern island of Tasmania, as well as the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires.
Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre forecaster Graham Weston told ABC radio that cold air from the south of Western Australia was pushing the ash towards Perth.
"It is drawing up some of that ash we do have in the Southern Ocean towards the south-west of the continent," he said.
If the cloud reaches Perth, it could then drift across to eastern or northern Australia, or head out to sea depending on winds, he added.
While Qantas has taken a conservative approach to the ash, cancelling flights, Virgin has largely chosen to fly around or under the plume with all services to New Zealand and Tasmania operating.
But it is taking no chances with Perth, saying the cloud is now lower, denser, and more dangerous.
"The volcanic ash plume is expected to drift over Perth at an altitude which will prevent aircraft from safely operating," Virgin said in a statement.
"As a result, the Virgin Australia Group of Airlines has suspended all flights into and out of Perth Airport until further notice."
Airservices Australia said the cloud approaching Western Australia covered a band between 15,000-35,000 feet (4.5-10.5 kilometres).
Qantas followed Virgin's lead.
"Qantas has cancelled all services to and from Perth from 1:00pm (0500 GMT) local time," said the airline, on a day it announced it was scaling back growth plans and cancelling aircraft orders due to slowing domestic demand.
"We will continue to monitor the movement of the ash cloud and assess its impact on flight operations as the situation develops," it added.
Most other international flights remained scheduled as normal to and from Perth, although a South African Airlines flight to Johannesburg and a Pacific Blue service to Bali were cancelled.
Sally Cutter, from Australia's Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, said the lower level of the ash near Perth did pose a risk.
"Volcanic ash makes it dangerous to fly, particularly for jet engines, due to the fact it can cause the engines to stop, so it's really up to each individual airlines to assess the risk they're prepared to take," she told reporters.
The eruption of Puyehue has caused disruption to air travel on a scale not seen since the volcanic cloud over Iceland paralysed Europe in 2010.
Flights have also been suspended in Argentina and Uruguay, forcing United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to take a boat from Buenos Aires to Montevideo.
Chilean government geologists have warned of more intense eruptions from Puyehue in the days ahead.
"It is possible there will be a return to increased eruptive activity", Chile's National Geological and Mines Service said late Tuesday.
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