Global General
Ash closes some UK airports; London stays open
(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-05-16 19:17
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 A fresh cloud of ash rises from the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland May 16, 2010. Parts of British airspace might have to close from Sunday until Tuesday because of a fresh cloud of ash. Airlines had to cancel around 100,000 flights last month, stranding millions of passengers. [Photo/Agencies] |
LONDON - Civil aviation officials are closing airports in northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland Sunday in response to a drifting, dense cloud of volcanic ash encroaching on British airspace.
The National Air Traffic Service said all airports in Northern Ireland will close from 1 pm (1200 GMT; 8 am EDT), along with others in northern England -- including Manchester and Liverpool -- as well as Prestwick, in Scotland. But airports in London are to remain open for the moment.
Britain's Department for Transport had warned that different parts of the country's airspace -- including England's southeast, home to Europe's busiest airport at Heathrow -- could close at different times through the next few days because of the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokul volcano.
In Iceland, civil protection official Agust Gunnar Gylfason said volcanic activity had not particularly intensified, though it does fluctuate throughout the day.
"What really changes the situation is the weather pattern," he said.
Meanwhile, German air traffic control said its air traffic won't be affected by a possible return of the volcanic ash cloud before Wednesday.
In a statement issued late Saturday it said the latest weather forecast shows that the ash concentration will remain insignificant throughout Tuesday.
Air traffic controllers previously warned of the ash cloud's possible return for Monday, which could have led to the closure of German airports.
The German Aerospace Center and Lufthansa both announced test flights for Sunday to measure the ash concentration.
