Airports reopen but ash cloud lingers
LONDON – A fresh cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland has caused more delays and frustrations for passengers flying into and out of Scottish and Irish airports.
Glasgow and Belfast airports were not due to re-open until 7am local time today following overnight closures.
Air traffic control body NATS cautioned that the ash cloud is “dynamic and continues to change shape and the situation may change againâ€.
Civil Aviation Authority chief executive Andrew Haines told the BBC that said ash would probably “continue to disrupt UK air travel for the foreseeable future”.
“Scientists are tracking the cloud’s movements constantly but its location changes frequently, depending on the strength of eruptions and prevailing winds,” he said.
Ian Hall, director of NATS, said they were keeping the situation under review.
“There are glimmers of optimism and hope, but we’ve been there before,” he said.
“The volcano is still erupting, the wind is still blowing from the wrong direction as far as our airspace is concerned, and so long as it does that we’ll have to stay on our toes.”
On Tuesday European Union transport ministers met in Brussels to agree measures they hoped would help prevent further disruption to air travel as a result of volcanic ash.
The steps include speeding up current plans to integrate Europe’s airspace, creating a “single European regulator for a single European sky”.
Ian Jarrett
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