Today, NATS has handled over 2600 movements in UK airspace up to 1800 local time – approximately 80 per cent of normal traffic levels. We are expecting a volume of traffic approaching 90 per cent from approximately 0700 tomorrow morning and are staffed appropriately to deal with this.

The latest guidance from the CAA shows the predicted location of dense volcanic ash in UK airspace over the far north of Scotland for the period 1900 on 21 April to 0100 on 22 April.  

Airspace at 20,000 ft or below over the Orkneys, the Shetland Islands and north of Aberdeen will not be available and airports north of Inverness will also be affected (Stornaway, Kirkwall, Wick and Sumburgh). High level Oceanic traffic flying over this area is not expected to be affected. 

Unless there is any significant change to our operations, we will not be issuing any further updates.

Source: www.nats.co.uk

Monday: April 19th

Dutch airspace will gradually become available for air traffic on Tuesday.

Air traffic to and from the airport will commence in phases. Initially flights will only take place at daylight and capacity will be limited. It will take days before air traffic to and from Schiphol will be fully resumed.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and airlines strongly recommend passengers to contact their airline and to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport. 


Due to large visitor numbers in connection with the serious disruption of air traffic (caused by a volcanic eruption on Iceland) we are presenting this website in a different manner than usual.  We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Source: www.schiphol.com

The situation regarding the volcanic eruption in Iceland remains dynamic and the latest information from the Met Office shows that the situation will continue to be variable.

Based on the latest Met Office information, part of Scottish and Northern Irish airspace including Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh airports will continue to be available from 1900 today to 0100 tomorrow, Wednesday 21 April, and also south to Newcastle Airport. Glasgow and Teesside airports will additionally become available in this time period. Restrictions will remain in place over the rest of UK airspace below 20,000ft.

Flights above the ash cloud are now permitted in the UK; between 1900 today and 0100 tomorrow, this will enable aircraft movements above 20,000ft in UK airspace.

We will continue to monitor Met Office information and the situation is likely to change during the course of the day. We will make a further statement at approximately 2100 today.

NATS is maintaining close dialogue with the Met Office and with the UK's safety regulator, the CAA, in respect of the international civil aviation policy we follow in applying restrictions to use of airspace.

We are working closely with Government, airports and airlines, and airframe and aero engine manufacturers to get a better understanding of the effects of the ash cloud and to seek solutions.

Source: www.nats.co.uk

There are restrictions on civil flights across most of northern and central Europe - Update on European air traffic situation - time: 16.30 CET.
 
EUROCONTROL expects approximately 5,000 flights to take place today in European airspace. On a normal Saturday, we would expect 22,000.

Yesterday, 16 April, there were 10,400 flights compared to the normal 28,000.

The restrictions includes Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, most of France, most of Germany, Hungary, Ireland, northern Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and the UK. In some of these areas the upper airspace has been made available, depending on the observed and forecasted area of ash contamination. However, it is difficult to access this airspace as in most cases the surrounding area is not available for flights.

Southern Europe, including Spain, the southern Balkan area, southern Italy, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey remain open and flights are taking place in these areas.

Approximately 600 trans-Atlantic flights take place each day, 300 in each direction. Of the 300 flights that would usually arrive in Europe, 73 flights arrived in Europe this morning.

EUROCONTROL, the air navigation service providers and the airlines are working closely together to ensure that whenever airspace becomes available, even if it is only for a short time, flights are able to take place in the most efficient and safe manner.

Cloud Map April 17th - opens in a new window:

www.eurocontrol.int/corporate/gallery/content/public/news/cloud-map-17april-3.png

Updated Saturday April 17, 0830: The volcanic ash cloud from Iceland is moving around and changing shape.

Based on the latest information from the Met Office, NATS advises that the restrictions currently in place across UK controlled airspace will remain in place until at least 0100 (UK time) tomorrow, Sunday 18 April.

We are looking for opportunities when the ash cloud moves sufficiently for us to make some airspace available within Scotland and Northern Ireland, which may enable some domestic flights to operate under individual coordination with ATC; we will be coordinating this closely with airlines and airports. It is most unlikely that many flights will operate today and anyone hoping to travel should contact their airline before travelling to the airport.

We will continue to monitor Met Office information and review our arrangements in line with that. We will advise further arrangements at approximately 1500 (UK time).

Previous Updates (prior to Friday, April 16)

The cloud of volcanic ash continues to cover much of the UK and the eruption in Iceland continues.

Following a review of the latest Met Office information, NATS advises that restrictions will remain in place in UK controlled airspace until 1900 (UK time) today, Friday 16 April, at the earliest.

However, flights in Northern Ireland and the Western Isles of Scotland to and from Glasgow and Prestwick may be allowed up to 1300 (UK time) today, subject to individual co-ordination.

North Atlantic traffic to and from Glasgow, Prestwick and Belfast may also be allowed over the same period.

We will review further Met Office information and at 0830 (UK time) we will advise on the arrangements that will be in place until 0100 (UK time) on Saturday, 17 April.

In general, the situation cannot be said to be improving with any certainty as the forecast affected area appears to be closing in from east to west. We continue to work closely with airports, airlines, and the rest of Europe to understand and mitigate the implications of the volcanic eruption.

NATS handled 2.2 million flights in 2009, covering the UK and eastern North Atlantic, that carried more than 200 million passengers safely through some of the busiest and most complex airspace in the world.

Amsterdam Schiphol Reported:

Update 19:30 Serious disruption of air traffic to and from the Netherlands

Air traffic to and from the Netherlands will be gradually halted in the next few hours. Current expectations are that air traffic to and from the Netherlands will come to a complete standstill after 19.00 hours this evening, as a result of a cloud of volcanic ash caused by a volcanic eruption on Iceland.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and the airlines are asking passengers to stay tuned for further developments and contact their airline before leaving for the airport, to verify that their flight is still scheduled to depart.

In cooperation with KPN Internet is free of charge at the airport until tomorrowmorning. 

BAA Heathrow Reported:

Last updated: 03:15, 16 April 2010

Flights are cancelled at all BAA airports, until at least 19:00 on Friday 16 April. This is due to volcanic ash spreading across the UK from Iceland which has caused the closure of British airspace by the UK air traffic control service (NATS).

Passengers should not travel to any BAA airport, but should contact their airline for re-ticketing information.

NATS will make a further announcement around 08:30 today which will outline what restrictions will be in place through to 01:00 on Saturday 17 April. We will continue to update this site with the latest information available.

We are sorry for the disruption and inconvenience this will cause.

Travelio.net Reported ( www.travelio.net ):

Hamburg is the only German airport that has been closed

Meteorologists have put forward different scenarios as regards the projected trajectory and drift of the cloud. A precise forecast about the course it will take and its impact on Germany cannot therefore be made as yet.

Lufthansa intercontinental flights have hardly been affected by the effects of the volcanic eruption, although individual flights to the United States and Canada have been delayed due to the need to fly around the ash cloud. All other long-haul flights are operating as normal.

Lufthansa is keeping a close eye on developments and is in constant contact with the respective aviation authorities and meteorological services so that it will be able to respond at short notice, should this be necessary.

No information was posted on the official websites of Paris Charles de Gaule and Frankfurt Airport.