Had Closed A Second Time Due To Icelandic Volcano Eruption

Airspace over Ireland and Scotland re-opened to all air traffic Thursday, after being closed most of the day Wednesday. A plume of ash from the volcano that continues to erupt in Iceland had drifted over the northern Atlantic disrupting air travel for the second time in as many months, but all airspace was reportedly re-opened by 1000 local time.

VAAC London Image

The Volcanic Ash Advisory Center in London indicated that the cloud had moved entirely offshore by Thursday morning. The New York Times reports that pilots were still being advised to avoid the area where the concentration of ash was most dense ... generally west of Ireland up to about FL320.

About 550 flights were cancelled Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Eurocontrol. About 58,000 flights were scheduled in Europe over those two days.

Still Britain's chief of Civil Aviation Andrew Haines said that the ash would likely continue to cause periodic air travel disruptions "for the foreseeable future." “The CAA is continuing to lead international efforts to develop more detailed scientific understanding of the situation to minimize disruption without compromising passenger safety,” Mr. Haines said in a statement.

Activity from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano increased again about four days ago, according to the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center, but the plume was not as large as the one which disrupted air travel over much of Europe last month.

FMI: www.metoffice.gov.uk/aviation/vaac/