Irish airspace to close on Tuesday morning due to volcanic ash cloud

May 4th, 2010 - 3:02 am ICT by BNO News  

Volcano Eruption DUBLIN (BNO NEWS) — Irish authorities on Monday said it will impose a no-fly zone over Ireland on Tuesday due to the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland. The no-fly zone will effectively close all major airports from 7 a.m. local time until 1 p.m. local time.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said it informed Irish-based airlines that it will impose restrictions on all flights in and out of Ireland from 7 a.m. local time until 1 p.m. local time on Tuesday, due to the risk of ash ingestion in aircraft engines. “Ireland falls within the predicted area of ash concentrations that exceed acceptable engine manufacturer tolerance levels,” said Martin Towey, a spokesman for the IAA.

The decision is based on the safety risks to crews and passengers as a result of the drift south of the volcanic ash cloud caused by north easterly winds.

The IAA said, according to information from the Volcanic Ash Advice Centre (VAAC), a no-fly zone will have to be imposed over Ireland that will affect Dublin, Shannon, Galway, Sligo, Ireland West, Donegal, Cork and Kerry. No flights will operate in or out of these airports until at least 1 p.m. on Tuesday.

Over-flights of Ireland from the United Kingdom and Europe are not expected to be impacted on Tuesday. “Flights in mainland Europe will operate normally,” Towey said.

The IAA advised passengers to contact their airlines website for information about individual flights.

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