New Ash From Iceland Closes U.K., Irish Airports

A new ash cloud has forced airports in the United Kingdom and Ireland to close again in the past two days following a fresh eruption by the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. The grounding of hundreds of aircraft for the second time in a month came as European Union transport ministers agreed to a package of measures to deal with similar crises in future, including accelerating the creation of a single European air traffic control space.

The new eruption closed Dublin Airport, as well as airports in Northern Ireland and Scotland, including Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The cloud likely will enter parts of England and Wales later today but is not expected to reach London, the busiest city in the world for international aviation. Meteorologists forecast the wind will swing northeasterly tomorrow, pushing the cloud into the Atlantic and allowing all airports to reopen.

Meanwhile, European Commission transport commissioner Siim Kallas confirmed yesterday that plans for a single European airspace, originally planned for 2012, would be fast-tracked to the end of this year. The transport ministers meeting also paved the way for member states to grant state aid to airlines without causing undue distortion to competition.

Kallas said the return of volcanic ash is inevitable. "It might be next week," he said. "It might be in 20 years, but it will happen again, and volcanoes do not obey rules. So we need to be faster and more flexible in our response."

Industry estimates showed more than 10 million passengers were stranded by the six-day closure of much of European airspace last month, which led to the cancellation of 100,000 flights. American Express Business Travel estimated last week that 150,000 customers were directly affected. Amex said it received one million calls during the crisis, 60 percent more than normal, and that counselors clocked 12,000 hours of overtime.