KINGSTOWN, St Vincent (CMC) — Caribbean Airlines cancelled its Friday flights between Guyana and Barbados as well as Saturday flights to and from St Vincent, following explosive eruptions at La Soufriere volcano here on Friday.

The Trinidad-based airline said that due to the volcanic activity, it would not be operating flight BW 200 scheduled for Barbados-St Vincent-Grenada and flight BW 201 from Grenada to Barbados on Saturday.

That statement was issued after the first volcanic eruption at 8:41 am, sending up ash plumes as high as 29,000 feet.

Caribbean Airlines issued a release later in the evening, after the second eruption which occurred around 2:45 pm, informing that flights BW 215 and 217 from Ogle, Guyana to Barbados, which were scheduled to operate on Friday, had also been called off.

“All passengers have been contacted and will be accommodated on next available services,” it said in both statements.

Since then, the team from the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC), which is monitoring the volcano, said a third explosive eruption occurred around 6:35 pm.

“The scientific team has cautioned that neighbouring islands and regional aviation interests can also expect to be impacted by volcanic ash. The volcanic ash poses a significant threat to flight safety,” it said in a press release.

It is estimated that phases of explosive eruption are likely to continue for days and possibly weeks.