Volcanic ash drift forces flight restrictions into and out of Irish airports

Volcanic ash forces Irish airspace closure

DUBLIN, Ireland — Ireland’s Aviation Authority says it’s banning all flights in and out of Ireland on Tuesday because of a renewed risk of volcanic ash drifting south from Iceland.

The authority says all flights in and out of Irish airports will be banned from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. local time Tuesday (0600GMT to 1200GMT; 2 a.m to 8 a.m EDT), the authority said.

It says in a statement the decision is based on the safety risk as a result of the southward drift of the volcanic ash cloud.

The authority says the restrictions do not affect planes flying over Ireland from Britain and Europe.

Iceland’s Meteorological Office says a change of wind direction in the past few days has meant the ash cloud was blowing south and southeast toward Europe, rather than northward.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

DUBLIN, Ireland (AP) — Ireland’s Aviation Authority says it may impose a no-fly zone over the country Tuesday because of concerns about the southward drift of volcanic ash from Iceland.

The authority says northeasterly winds are causing the ash cloud, originating from southern Iceland, to drift south to Ireland. It has informed Irish-based airlines it may be forced to restrict flights.

It said the potential restrictions could affect Dublin and other regional airports, but British airports including Heathrow in London will not be impacted. It said it expected to make a decision at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT, 3 p.m. EDT) Monday.

Iceland’s Meteorological Office said a change of wind direction in the past few days meant that the ash cloud was blowing south and southeast toward Europe, rather than northward over Iceland.