British flight restrictions are to remain in place until at least 01.00 on Tuesday, it has been confirmed. Ireland says its airspace closure will also be extended until 13.00 today.
No-one is able to put a date on when flights will resume.
British Airways conducts test flight
Yesterday, British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh joined four crew in a three-hour test flight from London, over the Atlantic, to Cardiff. Today the airline will study the effects of the flight on engines before concluding whether it is safe to fly or not.
Volcanic ash travel backlog a concern
The BBC website reported John Strickland, director of the aviation consultancy JLS Consulting, as saying even when flights resumed, a backlog would still cause major problems.
“This is a really big headache, especially for long-haul operators,” Mr Strickland said.
“Airlines rely on a carefully-planned sequence of flights. Once the sequence is broken, it is very hard to catch up, particularly on complex routes such as the UK to Asia or Australia.”
And as more airports fall under the volcanic cloud, the problem will only get worse, particularly when those airports are international hubs such as Paris and Frankfurt, both of which were closed on Friday.
Heathrow and European airport flight updates
For the latest advice on when flights will resume, see the National Air Traffic Service for advice. But for information about your own particular flight, it’s best to contact your airline directly.
Let us know your travel woes (or if you’ve had a lucky escape) below.
European flight restrictions
Air traffic control services are unavailable in most parts of Europe. This includes Belgium, parts of Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, parts of France, most of Germany, Hungary, Ireland, northern Italy, the Netherlands, parts of Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine and Britain.
Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, said on Sunday that approximately 5,000 flights took place in the region that day. On a normal day, the number would reach 24,000. You can check for updates on European flight restrictions here or consult our list of countries below.
Austria reopened its airspace on Monday morning at 4.00.
Belgium has extended closure of its airspace until 6.00 on Monday.
Bosnia partially opened its airspace from 18.00 Sunday.
Bulgaria partially reopened its airspace from 11.00 on Sunday.
Croatia: nearly all airports, including in the capital Zagreb, reopened on Sunday.
Czech Republic: airspace closed until at least 10.00 on Monday.
Denmark: airspace open for flights above 10,800 metres (35,500 feet). Airspace below this height closed all of Monday.
Estonia: airspace closed until at least 12.00 on Monday.
Finland: airspace over two airports to open for six hours on Monday due to gaps in the ash cloud. Flights to operate from Turku and Tampere between 09.00-15.00. Other airports remain shut.
France: Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse and several other airports in the south-west will remain open until at least 13.00. Airports north of the Nice-Bordeaux line will remain closed until at least Tuesday morning.
Germany: airspace closed until midday on Monday.
Hungary: airspace closed until 10.00 on Monday.
Iceland: airports remain open.
Ireland: airspace closed until at least midday on Monday.
Italy: airspace across northern Italy opened from 5.00 on Monday.
Latvia: airspace above 6,000 metres (19,700 feet) now open for transit flights, but flights to and from Riga airport not expected to resume on Monday.
Lithuania reopened its airspace at 14.30 on Sunday.
Netherlands: airspace will remain closed until at least 12.00 on Monday.
Norway: Oslo Gardermoen Airport open for some air traffic. Other parts of the country, such as northern Norway, remain closed to traffic.
Poland: airports closed on Monday. Transit flights in airspace permitted, but not landings and take-offs.
Romania: airspace closed until at least 09.00 on Monday.
Russia‘s airports remain open.
Serbia: airspace reopened from 18.00 on Sunday. Airports open.
Slovakia: airspace closed.
Slovenia: airspace closed.
Spain: 17 airports open.
Sweden: some airspace is open but few commercial flights are allowed to fly.
Switzerland extended a ban on commercial flights at its airports until Monday at 18.00. Overflights at altitudes over 36,000 feet (11,000 meters) are allowed.
Turkey: all airports open
Ukraine: Kiev airport reopened and operating normally.
