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Fresh activity

May 4, 2010

Flights in parts of Britain and Ireland have been grounded after a new ash cloud from a volcano on Iceland were detected. Last month, an ash cloud forced parts of Europe's airspace to close for several days.

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A plume of smoke above Iceland's volcano
The Icelandic volcano has caused travel disruptionImage: AP

Britain's Civil Aviation Authority has announced airspace closures over Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland due to a rise in levels of volcanic ash in the atmosphere.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has also cancelled all takeoffs within its airspace until midday on Tuesday. IAA chief Eamon Brennan said he was optimistic that the cloud would dissipate soon.

Flights over continental Europe are expected to remain uninterrupted, the aviation authorities said.

The flight bans were called following fresh activity at Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which caused travel chaos across the world when it began erupting last month. As a result, airspace over Europe was closed for six days and a global backlog of around seven million passengers was created.

European Union transport ministers are to meet in Brussels on Tuesday to discuss ways to improve response mechanisms to future air travel crises. Also on the agenda will be a long-mooted common European airspace policy.

dfm/dpa/AP

Editor: Chuck Penfold

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