Flights to and from Tasmania and parts of New Zealand have been cancelled as ash from a volcano erupting in Chile drifts across the region.

受智利火山灰的影响，进出塔斯马尼亚岛以及新西兰部分地区的所有航班被迫取消。

Australian airline Qantas cancelled 22 flights to New Zealand's South Island and Tasmania on Sunday.

A spokeswoman said it was "just too dangerous" to fly through the ash, while other airlines said they were changing flights paths to avoid it.

The Puyehue-Cordon-Caulle volcano has been erupting for more than a week.

The fine particles of ash it has been emitting - which can seriously damage aircraft engines - have drifted eastwards¹ towards Asia at between 6,000 and 10,600m (20,000 and 35,000ft).

New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority warned that the ash was expected to be detected at the cruising（巡航的） level of aircraft but had not yet been seen below 20,000ft.

"Given that the volcanic² activity is continuing, it is expected that New Zealand airspace may be affected³ by these plumes⁴ for at least a week," it said in a statement.

Qantas said it had grounded 14 flights in and out of Tasmania on Sunday and eight flights to Australia and the New Zealand cities of Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.

Budget Australian airline Jetstar cancelled 48 internal and connecting flights in the Australian island state of Tasmania and in New Zealand.

New Zealand Air and Virgin⁵ said none of their flights had been cancelled but that its aircraft would be flying below 5,800m (18,000ft) or would change routes to avoid the ash.

The volcano has already caused severe disruption（破坏，毁坏） to flights in South America, with planes grounded for several days in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.

It is the first serious eruption⁶ of the volcano chain since 1960, when the area was hit by a massive earthquake.

Thousands of people are living in temporary shelters after being evacuated⁷ from the area around the volcano.