Outlook is good but restrictions will remain

WHILE the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning said restrictions were likely to remain in place today, the outlook for a resumption of flights later this week seems positive.

At its daily press conference yesterday, the task force said the latest geological information suggests that while the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, remained active, the eruptions of volcanic ash have diminished in intensity.

The Irish Aviation Authority confirmed yesterday that a test flight by British Airways on Sunday had spent around 40 minutes in Irish airspace.

However, he also pointed out that tests by the British Met Office over the weekend had discovered evidence of volcanic ash at various heights in the atmosphere which suggested it remained a very significant hazard to aviation.

Met Éireann’s Ger Fleming predicted there would be a significant decrease in the ash concentration in skies over Ireland starting tonight, which would probably extend to most of Europe by tomorrow. However the taskforce predicted ash was likely to fall in Ireland over the coming days, although there are no concerns that it could pose a health hazard.

Meanwhile, Maurice Mullen, assistant secretary of the Department of Transport, said the Government had no plans to deploy naval service vessels to help bring citizens home from abroad.