The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and the British Civil Aviation Authority tonight announced they were opening Irish and UK airspace following its closure due to volcanic ash.
The two bodies said they had sanctioned the resumption of full service on a phased basis in all Irish and UK airspace from 9pm to Europe, North America and the United Kingdom.
In a statement, the IAA warned the easing of restrictions is subject to the ash cloud, currently positioned between Iceland and Ireland, not moving over Ireland tonight and no further aggressive volcanic activity.
The IAA said it is expected flights tomorrow will focus on positioning aircraft and crews and full service by the airlines and may take up to three days to recover. It advised passengers to consult airline websites before travelling to the airport for flights.
In a statement, Mr Eamonn Brennan, IAA chief executive said: "We welcome this agreement, which balances safety priorities with the need of the industry.
"This provides the foundation for a long term solution to the volcanic ash issue; however we need to be careful over the next few days as we are concerned that the ash cloud currently positioned between Iceland and Ireland may drift over the country. Ireland is one of the closest European countries to the exclusion zone."
It was also announced tonight that UK airports will be reopening after the government and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) reached agreement with carriers on volcanic ash tolerance levels and inspections.
The CAA also warned there will continue to be some "no fly zones where concentrations of ash are at levels unsafe for flights to take place, but very much smaller than the present restrictions".
Earlier today, it was warned levels of volcanic ash in Ireland's airspace may not clear before the weekend, the Government’s Taskforce on Emergency Planning said this afternoon.
The taskforce met this morning for the sixth time at the National Emergency Co-ordinating Centre to discuss the latest on the ongoing situation regarding the volcanic ash cloud.
Plans to reopen Irish airspace at 5am today were postponed after eruptions from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano intensified.
Ryanair this afternoon said the cancellation of all its flights between Ireland and the United Kingdom would be extended until 1pm on Friday. The company said it intended to use these UK- and Irish-based aircraft to operate extra flights from 1pm on Thursday from Ireland and the UK to continental Europe to clear the backlog of passengers on those European routes.
In another no-flight extension, all Ryanair flights to and from northern Europe are cancelled until 1pm on Thursday. Ryanair said it has notified all its airport handling agents of a suspension of airport check-in fees and baggage fees for a number of days until the backlog of passengers has been cleared.
Aer Lingus says its operations will remain cancelled until 1pm tomorrow at least.
Shannon airport was shut to commercial flights today but did receive an Aer Lingus flight from Tenerife, carrying stranded holidaymakers, this evening.
Officials from the IAA and emergency taskforce are to appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee tomorrow to discuss the crisis.
While the volcanic activity at the volcano is now generating less ash than in previous days, Met Éireann has forecast that the weather over Ireland will remain unchanged for the next few days. This means the plume of smoke might not move away from its current path before the weekend.
Met Éireann said easterly winds at the weekend should move the plume of smoke and ash away from Irish airspace. It said such a change should bring the plume, if it still exists, westwards to Greenland and this should enable flight restrictions to be eased over Ireland and Europe.
The Government taskforce said its advice from HSE was that the amount of ash likely to come to ground in the coming days is “minimal, if any”. It said the impact on health will be “equally minimal”.
Passengers have been advised to consult with their airline or airline’s website before going to airports.
O2 Ireland today said it will waive charges for text messages for customers who are stranded abroad. Customers will not be charged for text messages from midnight tonight to midnight on Friday. The operator will send a text to all customers currently roaming to inform them of the offer.
The cloud of ash from the volcano in Iceland has forced the cancellation of over 60,000 flights across Europe since it erupted last Wednesday. Roughly 70 per cent of flights in European airspace were cancelled yesterday. Some European flights resumed today and the relaxation of the rules may see up to 45 per cent of flights run as scheduled with up to 60 per cent possibly running tomorrow.
Limited flights have resumed at Paris airports and Switzerland has re-opened its airspace.
The crisis is taking a severe toll on the airline industry. Aer Lingus reported today that it was losing an estimated €5m each day as a result.
Following a teleconference yesterday, EU transport ministers reached a deal to gradually reopen European airspace. The ministers divided Europe’s airspace into open, closed and restricted zones.
EU transport commissioner Siim Kallas also sought to reassure passengers safety would not be compromised. “This is not a question of reducing safety but to have more sophisticated risk analysis.”
The EPA has said there has been no deterioration of air quality associated with the volcanic ash plume. Monitoring by the EPA has been increased and the agency is maintaining contacts with its Icelandic and other European colleagues.
Meanwhile, Fáilte Ireland said it was in "daily contact" with 4,000 accommodation providers across the country and the 70 tourist offices. It said special low n rates are available in Bord Fáilte-approved premises for people who can demonstrate they have been stranded.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation reports that although companies have experienced difficulties, a substantial number of Irish exporters have found alternative channels for their products.
The Department of Foreign Affairs Crisis Response Centre yesterday dealt with over 1,100 inquiries, mainly seeking information about alternative travel arrangements. An official from the Embassy in Paris is positioned in Cherbourg to help Irish passengers.