PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, July 17. /ITAR-TASS/. The Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Thursday issued a warning to all air companies about the hazard to aircraft in the area of the Zhupanovsky volcano in the eastern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula (north-eastern part of Eurasia). The orange aviation colour code has been assigned to the volcano as it spews ash to a height of six - 6.5 kilometres. Due to the hazard ash particles pose to aircraft engines, aviation services have been advised to change flight routes.

The ash plume from the volcano has stretched for 370 kilometres, the Kamchatka Volcanic Eruption Response Team (KVERT) told ITAR-TASS.

Zhupanovsky is a volcanic massif with four cones. Its previous eruptions were recorded in 1959 and 2013.