Irish airports reopen as ash cloud heads south

Irish airports re-opened at midday on Tuesday after authorities temporarily shut them down due to the return of airborne ash from the Icelandic volcano that caused travel chaos last month. A brief increase in the height of the ash plume over the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, combined with a change in wind direction, led air traffic controllers to suspend flights as a precautionary measure.

Reuters

Hundreds of take-offs were cancelled after the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) closed seven airports, including Dublin and Shannon, from 06.00 GMT on Tuesday.

All were reopened for normal operations from 12.00 GMT after the ash cloud moved south. It's now heading towards the Bay of Biscay, according to the IAA.

Airports in Northern Ireland re-opened at the same time, but the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has maintained the ban on flights to and from the Outer Hebrides islands off the west coast of Scotland until later on Tuesday.

The Icelandic Meteorological Office warns that northwestern winds have strengthened over Iceland, which will once again blow ash towards Europe and especially the UK.

This situation is expected to last for at least four to five days, according to meteorological forecasts.

European airspace was closed down for up to a week in April after Eyjafjallajokull erupted and sent a giant cloud of ash into the skies.