Alaska Airlines canceled dozens of flights on Thursday and Friday as a consequence of volcanic ash drifting over from the eruption of the Shiveluch volcano in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

The flights have been canceled as a security precaution; volcanic ash, which is sharp and abrasive, can harm the outside of planes and trigger engines to flame out and shut down.

By the top of Thursday, 51 Alaska Airlines flights inside, out of, and into Alaska had been canceled because of the ash cloud.

At about 6 a.m. native time Friday, 11 extra flights had been axed, in accordance with KTUU-TV, an Anchorage, Alaska, NBC affiliate.

The eruption of the Shiveluch volcano started Tuesday, and produced the biggest fallout of ash from the mountain in practically 60 years.

While a number of Russian settlements have been caked within the volcanic mud, no ashfall is projected in Alaska, in accordance with the Alaska Volcano Observatory.

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