The two main Irish airlines this evening cancelled more flights to the UK and Europe due to restrictions caused by plume of volcanic ash over northern Europe.
Ryanair has cancelled all flights to and from the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, Northern France, Northern Germany, Poland and the Baltic States until 1pm on Monday.
The airline said the decision was based on current weather forecasts for the British Isles, Scandinavia and northern Europe.
Aer Lingus said all its UK and European flight departures from Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Belfast, London Heathrow and Gatwick airports have been cancelled until 1pm tomorrow. Transatlantic flights will operate as normal.
Intending passengers are being advised to check their airline websites for updates.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) tonight announced that Cork, Kerry, Waterford and Shannon airports would remain closed tomorrow morning.
Mr Philip Hughes, director of technology, IAA, said: “The indications are that the ash cloud will present a serious risk to flights in and out of Cork, Waterford and Kerry Airports and Shannon Airport to a lesser degree. As a result we have no alternative but to impose these restrictions until further notice".
A limited number of flights departed Irish airports today after the IAA lifted restrictions within airspace around Ireland, with the exception of a block off the south coast.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen said this afternoon it was impossible to have a contingency plan in place for events such as the Icelandic volcano.
"These are acts of nature that are taking place - what we have to try and make sure and do is not compromise aviation safety. We cannot have that situation," he said, adding that the IAA will take the necessary steps to ensure standards are complied with.
"In recent hours, Irish airspace has been re-opened again with a small block here in the south not opened yet but, as you know, this ash problem could well be affecting the destinations to which those planes might be flying,” he said.
"So it is really a question of having to rely on the best technical advice and professional advice we have. But at no stage can one seek to compromise the safety of passengers," said Mr Cowen, speaking in Cork
Pressed on whether Ireland had a plan to deal with a lengthy disruption of air traffic because of the ash cloud, Mr Cowen replied: "I am not qualified to say - you don't have a plan in respect of an act of nature such as this."
"Your basic point is you only allow people to fly to a certain place when it is safe. And unless and until it is safe you cannot compromise on that. It is as simple as that."
Earlier today the IAA said a volcanic ash cloud continued to hang over England and Wales and most of mainland Europe and, as a result, flight restrictions would continue to disrupt east bound and south bound traffic out of Irish airports
The IAA said part of the volcanic ash plume was covering about 260,000 square kilometres (100,000 sq miles) off the south coast of Ireland.
"We are concerned that the volcano continues to be very active and we cannot rule out further restrictions if the weather patterns change and the ash cloud returns to Ireland," the authority said.
The Government’s Taskforce on Emergency Planning met this morning to discuss the developing situation and will meet again tomorrow.
According to advice from Met Éireann, the EPA and the Department of Health, there are no air quality, public health or environmental concerns.
Aer Arann said earlier today it would operate a limited service on domestic routes between Dublin, Derry, Galway, Sligo, Donegal and Knock. But the carrier said due to the closure of UK airspace it expected to cancel all other flights.
Cork airport was largely deserted today despite the IAA lifting restrictions on flights in Irish airspace. The majority of flights from the airport are to destinations in Europe and the UK, where restrictions remain in place.
Galway airport re-opened this afternoon after being shut since yesterday morning. Only a limited domestic flights service is running at Knock airport.
The European air safety organisation said the disruption could last another two days and a leading volcano expert said the ash could present intermittent problems to air traffic for six months if the eruption continued.
Some 11,000 flights are expected to take place today in European airspace, far short of the average daily flight number of 28,000 and almost half of yesterday's 20,334 flights.
Airspace is currently not available for operation of civilian aircraft in the UK; Belgium; the Netherlands; Denmark; Sweden; Norway; Finland; Estonia; the north of France including all Paris airports; parts of Germany including Düsseldorf, Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin and the airspace around Frankfurt and Poland.
Britain's National Air Traffic Control said restrictions preventing flights in English controlled airspace will remain in place until 1am tomorrow at the earliest. It said forecasts indicate that Scottish airspace may be able to accept domestic flights and North Atlantic flights to/from airports in Scotland and Northern Ireland from 7pm.
The volcano began erupting on Wednesday for the second time in a month from below the Eyjafjallajökull glacier which hurled a plume of ash six to 11 kilometres into the atmosphere. Volcanic ash contains tiny particles of glass and pulverised rock which can damage engines and airframes.
The prospect of rain clearing the ash out of the atmosphere look unlikely as dry weather continues for the next two or three days.
Around 1,000 flights involving about 100,000 passengers have been cancelled in Ireland over the last 48-hours as a result of the restrictions. Many ferries out of the Republic were full yesterday with queues forming at ports as passengers sought alternative travel options.
Irish Continental Group said this morning that Irish Ferries continues to experience "exceptional demand" for sailings between Ireland and the UK. "Queues of passengers arriving at Dublin Port seeking travel to the UK are exceptional", the group said.
The Irish Coast Guard helicopter operations on the east and south-east coasts were restricted last night due to the hazardous conditions, but lifeboats continued to operate.