British Airways have now cancelled all flights between London and Scotland tomorrow up until 2pm. Aer Lingus have also cancelled flights between Ireland and Scotland. Other airlines are monitoring the situation and considering whether cancellations are necessary. Passengers expecting to travel tomorrow, particularly to/from airports in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic, should perhaps continue to monitor airline websites for further updates.

David

No further update from Nats since 15.15, although one was expected around 40 minutes ago.

The update is online now

http://www.nats.co.uk/grimsvotn-updates/

Media reports suggest that Easyjet have now cancelled flights to/from Scottish airports between 5am and 9am tomorrow. However, the Easyjet website has not yet been updated with that info.

Flybe have now updated their website with a number of cancellations:
http://www.flybe.com/disruption/live.htm

David

Jet2 looks like they are busing people elsewhere from scotland for flights.

Just so everyone is aware of theit rights for flight cancellations and delays.. Simpson Millar have produced two booklets for us which you can download from the links below

Van

I'm a little confused by the latest NATS update. Does it mean that the ash cloud will be over scotland between 1am and 7am and then scotland's clear? Can anyone shed some light

I'm a little confused by the latest NATS update. Does it mean that the ash cloud will be over scotland between 1am and 7am and then scotland's clear? Can anyone shed some light

I would interpret it as that latest update at 9.45pm covering the period from 1am to 7am, with the next update scheduled at 3am covering the period from 7am onwards.

David

Easyjet cancellations now on their site:
http://easyjet.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5223

Ash cloud 'could cause serious disruption'

As thousands of famiilies prepare for a half-term getaway, aviation authorities are now saying that an ash cloud from Iceland's erupting volcano could cause serious disruption to travel plans later this week if it spreads across the UK.

Already thousands of passengers have been stranded as airlines cancelled flights to and from Scotland this morning because of drifting ash.

The following airlines have cancelled or suspended flights:

*British Airways is not operating any flights between London and Scotland until 14:00 hrs

*KLM cancelled flights to and from Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Newcastle and flights from Durham Tees Valley Airport

*EasyJet cancelled flights to and from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen until 13:00hrs.

*Ryanair said it has been advised by the Irish Aviation Authority not to operate flights from Glasgow Prestwick, Edinburgh or Aberdeen until at least 1300hrs

*Flybe cancelled flights to and from Aberdeen and Inverness

*Bmi said flights to and from Aberdeen were subject to delay and passengers should check its website, but services in and out of Glasgow and Edinburgh are running normally

*Glasgow-based Loganair has cancelled 36 flights, but its inter-island routes in Orkney are unaffected

*Eastern Airways is not be operating any services in or out of Scottish airspace

The ash cloud is expected to reach other parts of the UK later this week, but the Met Office said changing wind patterns made it difficult to predict whether the ash cloud will spread.

The CAA said the cloud could potentially cause serious disruption as the ash density below 35,000ft had reached the highest level at more than 4,000 microgrammes per cubic metre.

However, it said airlines would be given permission to fly even in medium to high density ash as long as they had done a risk assessment with aircraft manufacturers and engine makers and they could prove to the CAA that there was no risk.

So far no airline has applied to fly in high density ash, it said, but a number have applied for permission to fly in medium density.

Ryanair complained this morning that it should not have been forced by the Irish Aviation Authority to ground its flights to and from Scotland. It said it was meeting with the authority this morning to have the restriction on flights removed.

With permission from Travelmole

Update

The latest update from NATS warns of possible disruption at the following airports during the period 1300-1900hrs today:

Londonderry
Glasgow
Edinburgh
Prestwick
Newcastle
Carlisle
Durham Tees Valley
Cumbernauld

It is important that passengers travelling today check flight status with their airline. Whilst some flights are subject to delay or cancellation, other flights may operate to or from different airports. For example, some package holidaymakers at Glasgow and Edinburgh airports were transferred by coach to Manchester and Leeds Bradford airports this morning to take up their flights from there.

The next update, scheduled for around 1500hrs, should cover the period from 1900hrs onwards.

David

I have noticed that one airline has had to be told by regulatory authorities to not fly to Scotland today.

Do you mean Ryanair, mentioned in the Travelmole article above ?

The difference appears to be that as far as UK airlines concerned, the decision about whether or not to fly currently lies with those individual airlines rather than with the UK's Civil Aviation Authority, although they do have to apply to the CAA for final approval. This is a change in procedures since last year's ash cloud crisis, when airlines were told when they could and couldn't fly.

Other countries, such as the Irish Republic, may have different procedures in place and it was in fact the Irish Aviation Authority that advised Ryanair not to fly to Scotland today. The airline will be trying to overturn that decision this afternoon, after operating a test flight out of Glasgow Prestwick Airport this morning. The aircraft reportedly flew into the 'red zone' of high ash concentration over Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Ryanair say that there was no visible volcanic ash cloud or any other presence of volcanic ash and the post flight inspection of the test aircraft revealed no evidence of volcanic ash on the airframe, wings or engines. Ryanair say this supports their opinion that there is no safety threat to their operations.

However, other expert opinions may differ and indeed there is already some doubt being cast on Ryanair's test flight claims, with the CAA confirming that at no time did the Ryanair aircraft actually enter the notified area of high contamination ash over Scotland. And in response to Michael O'Leary's description of the CAA's closure of Scottish airspace as 'bureaucratic bungling', the CAA of course points out that it has not closed any airspace.

It might appear to some that facts are being lost somewhere amongst the headline making, which just adds to the confusion and frustration of travellers.

David

If the met office ashmaps are to be believed, they'd have overflown it.
Those ashmaps he had with him on BBC News are available for anyone with internet access too see. They are available on the met office site, with conviniently which flight levels the map is for and for roughly what time.

Oh well if the other airlines have issues with this at least they are being sensible and not letting the world see they have a problem with it.

ETA: They are flying all of this afternoons scheduled flights out of Aberdeen, Prestwick and Edinburgh .

Are these cancellations just affecting flights going into scottish or irish airspace,we r goin to menorca from birmingham in the mornin @ 6. How will we kno if our flight is affected that early?

Hi care bear ... it will really just be a case of watching for updates from NATS and your airline to see how things progress. Disruption is not just confined to flights from Scottish and Irish airports, a few airports in the north of England are also affected at the moment.

The last NATS update issued at 1500hrs covers the period from 1900hrs today until 0100hrs tomorrow and warns of disruption at Barra, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Prestwick, Newcastle, Carlisle, Durham Tees Valley, Cumbernauld and Tiree.

The next scheduled NATS update is at 2100hrs and will cover the period from 0100hrs tomorrow.

Airlines will continue to update their websites as the situation develops.

Having disputed the existence of any volcanic ash cloud earlier in the day, Ryanair decided to operate six flights from Edinburgh this afternoon. After checking in and boarding passengers, Ryanair had to begin the process of disembarking them again when the flights were subsequently cancelled by the airline. Ryanair have now cancelled all flights to/from Scotland for the remainder of today, claiming once again that the CAA has closed Scottish airspace.

David

Edinburgh Airport reports that there is currently a high density ash cloud over the city, as a result of which all airlines have now decided to cancel their flight schedules for the remainder of today.

Passengers are asked not to travel to the airport as no flights will be operating, but to check airline websites instead for further information on refund or rebooking.

There is significant disruption at Glasgow Airport too.

David

Glasgow Airport now confirms that all airlines have cancelled the remainder of today's flight schedules. However, some passengers who are already checked in will shortly be transferred by coach to Manchester to take up their flights from that airport. Services are expected to resume tomorrow, but may once again be subject to some level of disruption.

David

How long is this volcano going to keep spurting out ash, be it heading towards uk air space, or towards European airspace, and as the summer holiday season gets into full swing, surely this must be a nightmare for the airlines, come June/ July are we going to be stuck at home

joeseptuk wrote:

How long is this volcano going to keep spurting out ash

I'm sure NATS and all the airlines who fly in northern europe, north American and Russia would like an answer to that. Only mother nature knows though.

Darren