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Flights resume in Tonga as volcanic ash, smoke relent

Xinhua, January 15, 2015 Adjust font size:

Flights to and from Tonga resumed Thursday following cancellations earlier this week due to undersea volcanic eruptions which spewed plumes of ash and smoke high into the sky near the Pacific island country's capital of Nuku'alofa.

Fiji Airways resumed its flights into and out of Tonga in the morning, and an Air New Zealand flight has touched down at Tonga's Fua'amotu Airport to bring back tourists stranded in the Pacific island country, according to local news website Tonga Daily News.

Regional airlines had been grounded for three days, affecting over 1,000 passengers. As flights resumed, Fiji Airways and Air New Zealand said they will continue monitoring the volcanic activity in Tonga.

Earlier this week, Tonga's Ministry of Land and Natural Resource issued an advisory of volcanic ash emissions.

Previous volcanic activity at the undersea vent was recorded in 1912, 1937, 1959, 1988 and in December 2014. Endi