Britain’s two busiest airports have closed as a volcanic ash cloud drifts further south, causing major disruption for many thousands of people. A no-fly zone imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority forced Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports to shut down completely until 0700 BST. Flights are also grounded in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland….
Britain’s two busiest airports have closed as a volcanic ash cloud drifts further south, causing major disruption for many thousands of people. A no-fly zone imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority forced Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports to shut down completely until 0700 BST. Flights are also grounded in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
As BBC reports, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds Bradford airports have re-opened after restrictions in the north were lifted. The closure of Heathrow and Gatwick airports at the beginning of the working week is expected to hit business travellers and holidaymakers hardest. However, air traffic authority, Nats, said some flights should resume at both airports after 0700 BST.
MAIN AIRPORT CLOSURES
Heathrow: Until 0700 BST
Gatwick: Until 0700 BST
London City: Until 0700 BST
Aberdeen: Until 1300 BST
Edinburgh: Until 1300 BST
Cardiff: Until 1300 BST
Source: Nats
A Nats spokesman said Gatwick was due to be closed to arrivals until 1300 BST and departures would be subject to restrictions.
Eurocontrol, the European air safety body, said Heathrow arrivals would be limited to 30 an hour initially and it warned of significant delays. Travellers are being advised to check with their airline before leaving home. Elsewhere, Birmingham, Norwich and East Midlands airports are open again, after suspending flights on Sunday.
Prestwick Airport is no longer in the no-fly zone, but a spokeswoman said it would not be receiving any flights until lunchtime. According to Nats, other airports closed through the night included Farnborough, Shoreham, Biggin Hill, all airfields in Northern Ireland, Scottish Western Isles, Oban, Campbeltown, Caernarfon and Aberdeen.
Some are set to remain closed until 1300 BST at the earliest. They include those in Northern Ireland, Aberdeen and Farnborough. Others forecast to be in the no-fly zone between 0700 BST and 1300 BST are Ronaldsway, Edinburgh, Inverness, northern Scotland, Cardiff, Swansea and Bristol.
Flights in and out of Dublin, in the Irish Republic, are also grounded until at least noon. There are signs that the ash cloud is passing over the UK, as Dutch TV reported airports in Amsterdam and Rotterdam are to close for at least eight hours from 0500 BST (0600 local time).
The Department of Transport has warned restrictions are likely across different parts of the UK until at least Tuesday.
All the test flights have shown no evidence that airlines could not continue to fly completely safety. The latest dense patch of ash disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of people over the weekend, mainly in northern parts of the UK.
Airspace over Northern Ireland was first to close on Saturday, then as the cloud moved south, Manchester closed at lunchtime on Sunday, with Birmingham following suit by teatime.
Virgin Atlantic president Sir Richard Branson called the closure of Manchester airport "beyond a joke". "All the test flights by airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers have shown no evidence that airlines could not continue to fly completely safety," he said.
British Airways said airlines should be able to decide whether it was safe to fly, as the current approach was "overly restrictive". But the CAA chief executive Andrew Haines said: "We are all working flat out to keep flying safe whilst minimising disruption from the volcano."
Ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano has led to thousands of flights being delayed or cancelled since April.
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