Air chaos ‘could last past the weekend’

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

A spokesperson for the authority said it was possible the flight cancellations and airport closures which have devastated large parts of northern Europe could “potentially” last past the weekend.

The comment came after airlines across northern Europe were grounded when a major volcanic eruption at Eyjafjallajokull in southern Iceland released huge quantities of ash and steam into the sky at midnight on Wednesday.