Irish airports will remain open until at least tomorrow morning despite the volcanic ash cloud that is causing major disruption to European and transatlantic flights this weekend.
The Irish Aviation Authority has advised all passengers to check with their airlines before beginning their journeys after Aer Lingus and Ryanair announced cancellations of most flights between Ireland and in northern Spain, southern France, Portugal and the Canary Islands.
A rise in earthquake activity beneath the Eyjafjallajökull volcano has resulted in a significant amount of ash being ejected into the atmosphere.
The IAA said Irish airports were clear of volcanic ash today, but that clouds of dust over the North Atlantic were drifting over the Iberian Peninsula and other parts of southern Europe.
Irish airports are expected to be open until at least 6.00am tomorrow, the IAA said in a statement this afternoon. However, North Atlantic flights and flights to and from southern Europe may continue to be affected for several days.
An IAA spokesman said the volcanic ash cloud has taken a crescent shape around Ireland and any change to the prevailing weather conditions could bring the concentrated ash back over the country.
Airspace over northern Scotland may also be at risk later today, the IAA said. It advised intending passengers to regularly check their airline websites for updates.
Most flights between Europe and North America are being diverted away from the Iberian peninsula because of the ash cloud's latest drifting, officials at Eurocontrol said.
Spanish authorities have closed 19 airports, including Barcelona, where the Spanish Grand Prix is being held tomorrow.
Aer Lingus has cancelled all flights from Dublin, Cork, Belfast and London Gatwick to Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands, with the exception of flights EI 782 from Dublin to Las Palmas and EI 783 from Las Palmas to Dublin. It also warned there was "uncertainty" over flights from Ireland to the south of France today.
Ryanair cancelled a number of flights between Ireland and Spain, Portugal and France. It also cancelled a flights that were scheduled to overfly the region, including services between Dublin and the Canaries and airports in southern Spain. It said it expects to cancel more flights to and from Spain, Portugal and France during today and that dispruptions will continue until at least midnight.
Eurocontrol said it expected about 25,000 flights to take place in Europe today, down from 30,342 the previous day. It said yesterday's number was in line with normal traffic levels.
London Stansted Airport saw 25 Ryanair services to destinations including the Canary Islands, Spain and Portugal cancelled, along with four easyJet flights. At Gatwick, three easyJet services to Portugal were grounded while another four Ryanair flights to Alicante, Madrid and Barcelona were cancelled.
Ryanair put details of cancelled flights on its website including services from East Midlands, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and Liverpool. It advised customers to check their flight status before travelling to the airport.
Aer Arann said all of its flights are expected to operate as normal today.
A number of flights were grounded yesterday morning after the IAA imposed restrictions on Shannon, Sligo, Ireland West (Knock), Galway, Donegal and Kerry airports.
The IAA said the ash cloud currently measures approximately 1000 miles (1,600km) long and 800 miles (1,300km) wide. The cloud, which had previously remained below 20,000ft (6,000m), is gradually climbing to 35,000ft (10,700m), at which height it could pose a navigational obstacle for transatlantic flights.
The Government Taskforce on Emergency Planning said yesterday the potential for disruption of air services could remain into next week. It added that health and environmental monitoring programmes of the Environmental Protection Agency and Health Service Executive were ongoing and no health or environmental effects have been detected.
On Wednesday, an area of low pressure over Iceland is expected to bring the ash away from the UK and Ireland.
Additional reporting: PA
