Met Office advice suggests that the cloud will continue to move southwesterly overnight and the CAA and NATS therefore hope that fewer restrictions will be necessary tomorrow (Thursday).
Following the latest updated forecast from the Met Office later this evening the CAA will issue further guidance to industry and NATS will update the situation for the media and public with a statement that will be available from
www.nats.co.uk
Commenting on the situation, Andrew Haines, CAA Chief Executive said:
“The situation for UK airspace, particularly over the North and Scotland, remains unprecedented. Volcanic ash is a known hazard to aircraft and the previously accepted procedure adopted all over the world was to avoid ash completely. For the first time an ash cloud is affecting airspace where there is not the room to do this. So the CAA had to develop new safety procedures enabling flights to continue whilst flying close to or through the ash cloud. We were able to reopen the skies last month having secured agreement from manufacturers on safe levels of ash tolerance.
“Scientists are tracking the cloud's movements constantly but its location changes frequently, depending on the strength of eruptions and prevailing winds. When the ash level exceeds that agreed as safe by the industry we have to restrict flights accordingly. This decision is not taken lightly and we appreciate the huge inconvenience and disruption this causes to the many people and businesses affected.
“Ash is likely to continue to disrupt UK air travel for the foreseeable future and our advice to passengers is to listen to updates and contact their airline before leaving home if they are concerned their travel plans may be affected. The CAA is continuing to lead international efforts to develop more detailed scientific understanding of the situation to minimise disruption without compromising passenger safety.”
As European Union Denied Boarding and Cancellation Regulations still apply, passengers can find more information about their rights if flights are cancelled here.