No flights until 1pm tomorrow at best
The Irish Aviation Authority has extended the closure of Irish airspace to commercial traffic until 1pm on Sunday at the earliest.
No commercial passenger flights including North American traffic will operate from any Irish airport during this period.
The decision was based on the latest reports from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in London.
Restrictions on flights in and out of the UK will remain in place until at least 7am tomorrow, British air traffic control company Nats said today.
Similar types of restrictions are enforced in northern and central European countries as well as the UK.
A further update will be posted by the IAA website at 11am tomorrow.
Meanwhile restrictions on flights in and out of the UK will remain in place until at least 7am tomorrow, air traffic control company Nats said today.
A statement said some domestic flights may be able to operate before 7pm today if airspace clears over Scotland, the North and the area of England north of Leeds.
But Nats said it was “most unlikely that many flights will operate today” and urged passengers to contact their airline before travelling to the airport.
A statement from Nats said forecasts suggest the ash cloud will begin to cover the whole of the UK after 7pm.
“The volcanic ash cloud from Iceland is moving around and changing shape,” it said.
“Based on the latest information from the Met Office, Nats advises that the restrictions currently in place across UK controlled airspace will remain in place until at least 0700 (UK time) tomorrow, Sunday 18 April.
“There may be some airspace available within Scotland, Northern Ireland and England north of Leeds up till 1900 (UK time), which may enable some domestic flights to operate under individual co-ordination with ATC.
“We will be co-ordinating this closely with airlines and airports.
“We would repeat, it is most unlikely that many flights will operate today and anyone hoping to travel should contact their airline before travelling to the airport.
“After 1900 (UK time), Met Office forecasts show the ash cloud progressively covering the whole of the UK.
“We will continue to monitor Met Office information and review our arrangements in line with that.”
Nats expects to issue a further update at 9pm.
A spokeswoman for airports operator BAA said: “Following the latest advice from Nats, all flights to and from all BAA airports are suspended until 0700 tomorrow at the earliest.
“Passengers due to fly today should not travel to these airports until further notice, and should remain in touch with their airlines.
“We expect Nats to provide a further update around 2100 today.
“We appreciate the continued patience of passengers at this difficult time and will provide updates as often as possible.”
