Call it Iceland’s ire, but the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has confirmed that Irish airspace will begin closing from 12pm. Flights to and from Dublin Airport will be grounded and severe disruptions to flights are expected at Cork, Shannon and Knock airports. It is not expected that flights will take off and land before much later tonight.

The IAA is sober about the Volcano Ash Cloud Monster:

The cause of the closure relates to the ash cloud from a volcano in Iceland, which is heading towards Ireland. It is not safe for aircraft to fly into volcanic dust as it can cause engines to shut down and other electrical faults. The volcanic ash cloud is also causing severe restriction in UK Airspace.

The IAA advises that customers contact their airline for further information. They are monitoring the situation and they will make another statement at noon.

Updates from the airlines:

Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus has cancelled all flights from Dublin. Customers need to search using their flight numbers on the Aer Lingus website. AL press release page doesn’t include live news alerts and it’s buried in the back of the site. Disappointing.

Update: Finally a news page on flight disruptions is live!

Ryanair

Customers should track flight status on Ryanair’s live flight information page, but it has announced the following disruptions:

• From 09:00hrs (local) no further Ryanair flights will operate to/from the UK
• From 10:00hrs (local) no further Ryanair flights will operate to/from Ireland
• From 11:30hrs (local) no further Ryanair flights will operate to/from Norway, Sweden and Denmark

Live Travel Information

Customers might find it useful to keep track of flight arrivals and departures on the Dublin Airport Authority website as well as AA Roadwatch’s alerts.

Photo via Aer Lingus

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