No U.K. flights until Sunday afternoon

LONDON – (Update 5) There is another delay in opening up U.K. airspace to air traffic and the organization that regulates the airways says it does not expect airplanes will be flying until at least Sunday.

Latest: Heathrow, Schiphol, Frankfurt shutdown.
“The volcanic ash cloud from Iceland is moving around and changing shape. Based on the latest information from the Met Office, NATS advises that the restrictions currently in place across UK controlled airspace will remain in place until at least 0100 (UK time) tomorrow, Sunday 18 April,” the aviation organization.

“We are looking for opportunities when the ash cloud moves sufficiently for us to make some airspace available within Scotland and Northern Ireland, which may enable some domestic flights to operate under individual coordination with ATC; we will be coordinating this closely with airlines and airports. It is most unlikely that many flights will operate today and anyone hoping to travel should contact their airline before travelling to the airport,” said the latest announcement.

Heathrow Airport issued the following announcement a short time ago.

“Following the latest advice from NATS, all flights to and from all BAA airports are suspended until 01:00 tomorrow (Sunday) at the earliest. Passengers due to fly today should not travel to these airports until further notice, and should remain in touch with airlines.

“We expect NATS to provide a further update around 15:00 today. We appreciate the continued patience of passengers at this difficult time and will provide updates as often as possible,” the airport announced.

Earlier Story: Heathrow Airport in London says all flight operating out of London airports are grounded at least until 1 p.m. Saturday because of volcanic ash drifting across the region.

“Flights are cancelled at all London airports, until at least 13:00 tomorrow afternoon, Saturday 17 April. This is due to volcanic ash spreading across the UK from Iceland which has caused the closure of English airspace by the UK air traffic control service (NATS). Passengers should contact their airline for re-ticketing information,” the airport authority said.

“Some flights are currently operating from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports. However, these are only transatlantic flights as well as those to Ireland and other Scottish airports. Please note these arrangements do not mean that all flights will operate and passengers should check before travelling to the airport,” said the announcement.

NATS said it is expected the ash will move back into U.K. airspace and that could disrupt and close more airspace.

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Earlier Story:

Flights out of all London airports including Heathrow are cancelled at least until Saturday morning because of dangerous plumes  of volcanic ash floating around across north-eastern Europe and the U.K.

And there is no guarantee that flights will resume according to the currently planned time of 0100 UK time – with NATS, the agency responsible for air traffic, stating the situation remains unpredictable.

Heathrow Airport made the following announcement: “Flights are cancelled at all London airports, until at least 01:00 on Saturday 17 April. This is due to volcanic ash spreading across the UK from Iceland which has caused the closure of English airspace by the UK air traffic control service (NATS).”

NATS in turn also confirmed the shut down of all London airports to in and out flights.

It issued the following statement: ”The cloud of volcanic ash continues to cover much of the UK and the eruption in Iceland continues. Following a review of the latest Met Office information, NATS advises that restrictions preventing flights in English controlled airspace will remain in place until 0100 (UK time) tomorrow, Saturday 17 April, at the earliest.”

“Flights in Northern Ireland and the Western Isles of Scotland to and from Glasgow and Prestwick will continue to be allowed until 1900 (UK time) subject to individual co-ordination.  North Atlantic traffic to and from Glasgow, Prestwick and Belfast may also be allowed in this period.

“From 1900 (UK time), forecasts indicate that Scottish airspace may be able to accept domestic flights within Scotland and Northern/Southern Ireland, and North Atlantic flights to/from airports in Scotland and Northern Ireland.”

“We will review further Met Office information and at 1430 (UK time) we will advise further arrangements.  In general, the situation is dynamic and subject to change,” said NATS in it latest announcement.

“We continue to work closely with airports, airlines, and the rest of Europe to understand and mitigate the implications of the volcanic eruption,” it said.

Major airports in Scandinavian countries also closed and London’s Heathrow Airport posted signs of closed gates as the U.K. aviation authorityhad earlier  banned all flight from noon London time to at least 6 p.m. on Friday – but that window closed down.

“From midday today until at least 6 p.m., there will be no flights permitted in UK controlled airspace other than emergency situations,” said NATS earlier about its planned resumption of flight on Friday.

“This has been applied in accordance with international civil aviation policy. We continue to monitor the situation with the Met Office and work closely with airline customers and adjoining countries. We will review the situation later today to understand what further action will be required,” said NATS.

Passengers flying out of all London airports are advised to check ahead of time and telephone their carrier to make sure they will be flying at all before Sunday.

The volcanic ash advisory was issued as an ash cloud from volcanic eruptions in Iceland tracked across northern Europe.

“NATS is working with Eurocontrol and our colleagues in Europe’s other air navigation service providers to take the appropriate action to ensure safety in accordance with international aviation policy,” the aviation organization said.

Thousands of people flying into, around or away from the region are stranded and the situation has caused global air traffic problems. Many people are stranded at major airports including Heathrow.

Earlier, airspace over Scotland was shut down but the ash continued to spread.

Glass-like ash particles can damage aircraft engines and shut them down – a potential recipe for disaster.

Anyone planning to fly today should check with their airline before going to the airport.

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Posted by News Editor on Apr 17 2010. Filed under More News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry