Dublin, Cork and Waterford Airports open until at least 1300 tomorrow - Shannon open to 0700 tomorrow. Knock, Donegal and Sligo close at 1500 today, G
1430 - Sunday 9th May 2010: Based on current information, Dublin, Cork and Waterford airports will be open until at least 1300hrs local tomorrow Monday 10th May. Shannon Airport will remain open until 0700 hrs local tomorrow.
Donegal, Sligo, and Ireland West (Knock) airports will operate normally until 1500 hrs local Sunday, Galway 1600 hrs Sunday and Kerry 2200 hrs Sunday, after which they will close, due to the high risk exclusion zone associated with the concentrated ash cloud. These closures will be reviewed later this evening.
The past number of days has seen the growth of a large cloud of high ash concentration off the west coast of Ireland, and this has caused difficulty for some trans-Atlantic operations and operations into some areas of southern Europe.
The Irish Aviation Authority is in constant contact with Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) and the Central Flow Management Unit (CFMU) at Eurocontrol, and is monitoring the path of the ash cloud in order to assess the impact it could have on air safety. The cloud currently measures approximately 2,100 miles long and 1,400 miles wide. See Chart.
A further update will be issued at 2030 hrs Sunday 9th May 2010.
Passengers planning to travel by air over the coming days are advised to regularly check their airline websites and the IAA website in advance of going to the airport.
Media contacts:
Ken Rogan: 086 317 9955