New Flights Grounded by Volcanic Ash Fear

As this new volcanic ash disruption is, as it was before, a very dynamic situation, we will update this page as we can throughout the day. It is strongly recommended that passengers affected by the closure of airspace, contact their airlines to ensure, that at the very least, they have your latest contact details. The airline will also be the best source of information as to exactly when your flight may depart. The latest updates appear at the top.

- update 10 - (Friday) As this is turning into a "now they're open, now they're not" situation, this will be the last update on this particular page. Do check with your airline frequently before flying as things could still change. The IAA has however, now withdrawn restrictions on flights in and out of six airports in Ireland from 09:00 GMT on Friday. All UK and Republic of Ireland airspace is now open.

- update 9 - (Friday) The IAA has closed the following six airports in Ireland: Shannon, Donegal, Sligo, Ireland West (Knock), Galway and Kerry. The airports of Cork, Dublin and Waterford are all open. Shannon is closed on Friday from 03:00 to 13:00, Donegal from midnight to 12:00, from midnight to 13:00, Ireland West (Knock) from 03:00 to 13:00, Galway from 03:00 to 13:00 and Kerry from 07:00 to 13:00.

- update 8 - The IAA and NATS have confirmed that all restrictions regarding Republic of Ireland and UK airspace has been lifted, and all airports are open.

- update 7 - The IAA has said that its airspace will gradually open from 04:00 (03:00 GMT) on Thursday. Cork, Donegal, Dublin and Waterford are expected to be fully operational from 04:00. Sligo should be back to normal from 06:00 while Galway, Ireland West (Knock) and Shannon should be fully operational from 08:00. Kerry airport is expected to return to full operations from 09:00.

- update 6 - Fewer restrictions are expected on Thursday, however NATS has said that from 01:00 (GMT) until 07:00 (Thursday, 6 April) the UK airfields which will be inside the no-fly zone, and therefore unavailable, include all those in Northern Ireland plus Islay, Campbeltown, Ronaldsway, Lands End and the Isles of Scilly. All other UK airfields are open.

- update 5 - The UK's Civil Aviation Authority has extended the no-fly zone from 13:00 GMT to include Belfast City, Belfast International, Ronaldsway (Isle of Man) and Edinburgh Airports. The other airfields already within the no-fly zone, as detailed in the previous updates below, remain closed as well.

- update 4 - The IAA this morning (Wednesday) updated the situation regarding Irish Airports. Dublin airport will be restricted from 11:00 local time (10:00 GMT) until at least midnight on Wednesday, and no flights will travel through the airport between these times. Shannon airport will be open until 17:30 local time today. Cork and Kerry airports will be open until at least midnight. Waterford airport will be open until at least 15:00. Galway will be restricted from 12:00 today. Ireland West (Knock) will be restricted from 11:00 until at least midnight. Donegal and Sligo airports will have restrictions in place until at least midnight.

- update 3 - In addition to the airport closures mentioned in update 2, the UK's Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that the following airports will be closed 07:00 until 13:00 local time (Wednesday, 5 May 2010): Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Glasgow, Inverness, Islay, Prestwick, Stornoway and Tiree in Scotland, and Derry in Northern Ireland. Between 13:00 and 19:00 local time CAA expects the following airports to be closed: Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Glasgow, Islay, Prestwick, Stornoway and Tiree in Scotland and Belfast International, Belfast City and Derry in Northern Ireland (note that Inverness is open during that time). There is a chance more airports (Blackpool, Carlisle, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Manchester) will be closed, but this has not yet been confirmed and depends on the wind.

- update 2 - The good news is that on Tuesday, Irish airspace reopened at around 13:00 local time (12:00 GMT). The bad news is that on Wednesday some airspace will close again. Currently, restrictions will apply at Donegal 08:00, Sligo from 09:00, Dublin from 11:00 and Ireland West (Knock) from 11:00. Cork, Waterford and Kerry are not likely to have restrictions imposed on them before 14:00, although the IAA has warned that, "restrictions after that point are likely". There are currently no restrictions at Shannon or Galway airport. The UK's Civil Aviation Authority has said it "anticipates all Scottish and Northern Ireland airports will be closed from 07:00 local time" on Wednesday, 5 May 2010.

- update 1 - Following on from the earlier news published below about airport closures, the IAA has now confirmed that the Irish airports will now reopen at 13:00 on Tuesday (12:00 GMT). The IAA said the situation will still be reviewed as the week goes on, as winds are forecast to continue from a northerly direction for the next few days, which, "could lead to further problems".

Original Article

Just as many of us were beginning to believe the worse of the Volcanic Ash misery was over, and most stranded passengers had returned safely home, a worrying message emerged from the Irish Aviation Authority stating that it was to close its airspace until 13:00 (12:00 GMT) on Tuesday, 4 May 2010. The UK's Civil Aviation Authority has also closed parts of its airspace as well.

Airports affected include: Dublin, Belfast International, Belfast City, Cork, City of Derry, Donegal, Ireland West (knock), Kerry, Shannon Galway and Sligo.

Airspace over Scotland's Outer Hebrides has also been closed with operations from Stornoway, Tiree, Barra and Benbecula cancelled until airspace reopens.

The IAA said that flights over Ireland from the UK and Europe will not be impacted. Flights in and out of mainland Europe and England are operating normally.

As before, any concerned travellers should contact their airline to find out the latest regarding their flights. 

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