Airports to stay open until midnight - IAA

ALL IRISH airports will remain open until at least midnight tonight, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has said.

The plume of ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano – which measures 2,100 miles long and 1,300 miles wide – is still positioned over the Atlantic between Iceland and the Iberian peninsula, the IAA said.

Aircraft travelling between Europe and the US have used routes north of Iceland and as far south as Santiago in Spain.

The north Atlantic route structure from Ireland improved yesterday and the authority said this should assist transatlantic operations today.

The IAA warned continuing difficulties may be encountered with Iberian and Canary Islands routes.

European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol said areas of higher ash concentration could move in a northeasterly direction, cutting further across the Iberian Peninsula and into southeast France.

Seven airports in Spain were closed yesterday according to the country’s air traffic control agency. Airports included four on the Canary Islands and three in southwest Spain.

Casablanca, Rabat and Tangiers airports were closed in Morocco as unsafe ash levels extended from the Canary Islands across Spain and Portugal and as far as the Pyrenees.

Turkey’s air authorities halted flights over the northwestern region of Trakya near the Greek border for a number of hours.

Aer Lingus cancelled a number of flights scheduled between Dublin, Cork and Belfast to mainland Spain (Malaga) and the Canary Islands (Lanzarote, Las Palmas, Tenerife and Fuerteventura).

The airline said it would continue to send phone text messages to customers of affected flights.

Ryanair cancelled flights from several airports, including Barcelona, Faro, Gran Canaria, Madrid and Malaga.

All intending passengers are advised to check with their airlines before travelling.

In an attempt to free up more air space, Eurocontrol removed a 60 nautical mile buffer zone which was initially added to the proposed no-fly zone.

The decision followed tests and analysis in the UK that confirmed the effectiveness of a model used to determine areas where ash concentration could be above engine-tolerance levels. The IAA has removed this buffer zone.

Airlines have been calling for more precise mapping of the ash cloud to enable them to fly more aircraft.

The IAA defended the methodology it uses to ascertain levels of ash density following criticism by Aer Lingus and Ryanair.

The airlines have called for the adoption of a US-style model which establishes small no-fly zones around volcanoes.

The agency said it was conscious of the need to keep airspace open but stressed all its decisions “are based solely on safety”.

Countering claims that the IAA was dependent on a single model, the authority said the VAAC (the UK Met Office’s Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre) model it uses is based on multiple information sources.

Results from test flights conducted by other countries are taken into consideration. The IAA is in contact with the Icelandic met office and Icelandic Civil Aviation Authority and uses weather radar and satellite technology to determine ash levels in the atmosphere.