Airports in the West may close tomorrow

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

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) confirmed a plume is likely to be over the west coast early tomorrow morning and will spread over the rest of the country later in the day.

It stated that Sligo, Donegal, and Ireland West (Knock) airports will be open until 7am tomorrow, with all other Irish airports operational until 1pm.

A further announcement will be made at 9.30am in the morning.

The latest forecasts could be bad news for passengers hoping the skies were getting back to normal a month after ash from the erupting Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull first halted flights across Europe.

Airlines bosses have also criticised aviation chiefs across Europe for the amount of airspace closed in recent weeks.

The IAA said it, along with the UK National Air Traffic Services (Nats) and other aviation authorities, are constantly reviewing and refining the model used to apply restrictions to airspace.

“The IAA is organising observation flights for tomorrow to check on the level of ash concentrate to compare with the levels estimated by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre,” it stated.

“The IAA will then use this data in conjunction with other sources to arrive at a decision on potential airport closures.”

It said that reviews are based on data from more than 300,000 flight hours accumulated since the crisis began, on scientific test flights, on engine inspections, ongoing discussions with the aircraft engine manufacturers and reports from Iceland on the geological activity of the volcano.

“Last week these reviews led to the removal of a 60-nautical-mile safety zone around the ash cloud, and the IAA is confident that the model will be enhanced again based on the growing body of evidence being gathered every day,” it added.

Passengers planning to travel by air over the coming days are advised to regularly check their airline websites before going to the airport.