Drifting volcanic ash clouds have closed the two busiest airports in the UK – but only for a few hours during the night.They are expected to re-open again at 7am local time, well in time for Air New Zealand's next flight due at Heathrow airport at 1
Drifting volcanic ash clouds have closed the two busiest airports in the UK – but only for a few hours during the night.
They are expected to re-open again at 7am local time, well in time for Air New Zealand’s next flight due at Heathrow airport at 11am local time (10pm NZ time).
A no-fly zone imposed by the Civil Aviation Authority has seen Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports shut from 1am local time (midday today NZ time).
Flights are also grounded in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland but, in northern England, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds Bradford airports have re-opened after restrictions were lifted.
Birmingham, Norwich and East Midlands airports are also open again, after suspending flights on Sunday.
The BBC says the latest dense patch of ash has already disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of people, mainly in northern parts of the UK – bringing more criticism from airlines.
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 has 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 says.
British Airways says airlines should be able to decide whether it was safe to fly, as the current approach is "overly restrictive.".
But CAA chief executive Andrew Haines says: "We are all working flat out to keep flying safe while minimising disruption from the [Icelandic] volcano."
