IRISH airline passengers are this morning facing the first ash cloud flight disruptions after Aer Lingus was forced to cancel a dozen flights.

London's Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) has said that, while there is a risk that some ash cloud may reach parts of northern Europe in the next 24 hours, no flight disruption is expected in Irish airspace.

Two volcanoes have erupted on Russia’s far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, tossing massive ash clouds miles into the air, forcing flights to divert and blanketing one town with thick, heavy ash.

Aviation chiefs tonight warned of further travel misery as a volcanic ash cloud from Iceland drifts closer to Ireland.

IRELAND’S two largest airlines have been accused of conducting a “cynical, politically motivated” attack on ash cloud safety measures, after claiming protection plans were “inaccurate” and needlessly closing airports.

AN advanced system for forecasting volcanic ash in Irish airspace has been developed by researchers at NUI Galway.

Aer Lingus today called on the European Union to urgently revise the procedures used to predict volcanic ash concentrations, as further closures of airspace are threatened across Ireland and the UK.

WHEN the volcanic ash cloud covered much of Europe, the only option was to shut down the airspace, because nobody knew what else to do.

The Irish Aviation Authority has extended the closure of Irish airspace to commercial traffic until 1pm on Sunday at the earliest.

Irish airspace, with the exception of a block off the south coast, will continue to operate without restrictions, according to the Irish Aviation Authority.

THE crisis which has brought Ireland’s airlines to a standstill could last for days, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has confirmed.

The National Task Force on Emergency Planning says it is possible that flights may not operate in or out of Ireland for a number of days.

Irish airspace will remain closed until at least 11am tomorrow morning, it has been announced.

The Irish Aviation Authority has warned that the disruption to flights from the volcanic ash cloud could last days.

Airline passengers faced massive disruption today after ash from Iceland’s volcanic eruption moved towards UK airspace causing a number of airports to cancel flights.