Cork and Shannon airports see flights recommence
Aviation chiefs lifted restrictions on Shannon and Cork airports late last night, but insisted Dublin would stay closed until at least 11am as the cloud hovered above the east coast.
Further widespread flight cancellations were expected today as a massive volcanic ash plume continued to cause travel chaos.
The Irish Aviation Authority said restrictions remained in force throughout the UK and northern Europe.
Flights at Dublin, Cork, Belfast and Shannon airports were cancelled yesterday amid fears the clouds of dangerous dust and ash could down a plane, sparking travel misery for tens of thousands of passengers.
Donie Mooney, IAA director of operations, said the authority was satisfied that it was safe to fly to and from airports on the west coast.
“We will continue to closely monitor the weather and once it is safe to fly into the east coast we will lift the restrictions at Dublin Airport when it is deemed safe to do so,” he said.
“We advise anybody booked on flights to check with their airlines on a regular basis.
“Our priority is the safety of the pilots, crews and passengers on all flights. So we will not lift restrictions until we are satisfied that it is 100% safe to fly.”
The Government Taskforce on Emergency Planning – last convened during the big freeze over the new year – said air travel restrictions were expected to last for a number of days.
It said that, in Ireland, nearly 500 flights were cancelled yesterday affecting 50,000 passengers.
The IAA has insisted Ireland was taking the same precautions as the UK, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Holland and Denmark after eruptions from the Icelandic mountain Eyjaffjalljokull.
Hundreds of travellers hurried from Dublin Airport yesterday, opting for ferries across the Irish Sea, while hundreds more queued at Ryanair and Aer Lingus ticket desks to rebook flights.
