London/Dublin, May 4 (DPA) All flights in and out of the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland were halted Tuesday as ash from an Icelandic volcano drifted into the region’s airspace.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) banned all takeoffs and landings from Irish airports from 0600 GMT to 1200 GMT. The IAA said the bans were based on information by the Volcanic Ash Advice Center.
Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority said airspace would be closed over Northern Ireland as of 0600 GMT. A no-fly zone over Scotland’s Outer Hebrides was also imposed.
Flight schedules in mainland Europe remain unaffected, the aviation authorities said. Transatlantic flights to the US are not affected.
The disruption in service comes only weeks after the volcano’s eruption caused the closure of airspace across Europe.
IAA chief Eamon Brennan said he was optimistic that the cloud would dissipate soon.
Ash from the volcano at Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull glacier caused a shutdown of European airspace for six days last month, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers and leading to billions of losses for airlines and industries.
The European Union’s transportation ministers were to meet in Brussels Tuesday to discuss improved air traffic crisis management.
