Trade breathes sigh of relief as new ash problem short-lived
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Travel industry fears that another volcanic-ash induced airline industry disaster was on its way yesterday were short-lived after airspace over Ireland was closed for just six hours.A fresh drift of volcanic ash from Iceland heading towards the UK meant flights in and out of Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic were cancelled between 7am and 1pm yesterday while airspace over Scotland’s Hebrides was closed from 6pm Monday to 1pm yesterday.However, further ash drifts over UK airspace cannot be ruled out with the CAA describing the situation as “very dynamic”.”Airspace over the UK is still being impacted by ash. While levels are now such that operations are possible, in line with the standards agreed by engine manufacturers, safety restrictions will remain in place,” said a CAA spokesperson.Last month, tens of thousands of passengers were delayed or stranded when most of Europe’s airspace was closed due to the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano. Flights over Europe were banned for six days because of fears of the effect of volcanic ash on plane engines. Yesterday EU transport ministers met in Brussels today to discuss ways to improve air traffic management in the wake of volcanic ash disruption.
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