Ireland Flight Ban Warning Over Ash Cloud
From Sky News -
Flights to and from Ireland may be cancelled tomorrow as volcanic ash from Iceland drifts across the country.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has told Irish-based airlines it is concerned that airports in Ireland may be impacted by the drift south of the cloud.
It said current information from the Volcanic Ash Advice Centre (VAAC) suggest a no-fly zone may have to be imposed affecting Dublin, Shannon and some regional airports.
The authority says it will make a decision by 8.30pm.
Flights passing over Ireland from the UK and Europe are not expected to be affected.
It is believed the ash cloud, currently heading towards Donegal in the north west of the country, could move across the country with north-easterly winds.
"The latest information we have is that some of the denser volcanic ash, that's the no-fly zone, is over the Donegal area," IAA's chief executive Eamon Brennan told RTE radio.
"We are concerned about the north-easterly winds moving this down over the rest of the country."
He went on: "At the moment we have a slither of denser ash over the midlands and if this continues for the next number of hours we have no option, based on the new regime imposed in Europe last week, except to impose a no-fly zone and a 60-mile buffer zone which would effectively close Shannon and Dublin airports."
Mr Brennan said even though emissions from the volcano have been low over the last number of days, the cloud which has drifted south could impact on Ireland and the western part of the Scottish Isles.
He revealed the plume is sitting 20,000 feet over parts of the country, adding that weather conditions are not favourable.
Hundreds of thousands of travellers were left stranded last month when European airspace was closed for almost a week after eruptions from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano.