Airports in Ireland and parts of Britain were closed for hours on Tuesday because of a cloud of volcanic ash drifting south from Iceland that shut European airspace last month and could threaten summer holiday travel.The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) closed airports from 0600 GMT to 1200 GMT due to the risk of ash ingestion in aircraft jet engines, although overflights of Ireland from Britain and continental Europe were not halted.It was the first test of a European system of progressive closures, including partial no-fly zones, introduced after the abrasive ash cloud prompted a blanket ban that was criticised by airlines forced to ground thousands of flights in April.European transport ministers have agreed to set safety limits for flying through the ash, which can paralyse jet engines, and to unify European airspace."The Council agrees on the need of establishing ... binding limit values at EU level which clearly define the safety envelope of engines and aircraft as regards the risk of volcanic ash," the ministers said in a statement.Air traffic control agency Eurocontrol said the six-hour closures resulted in the cancellation of 150 flights, but that flights were now operating as normal.Britain's National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which had imposed a no-fly zone in the west of Scotland and Northern Ireland, also opened nearly all its airspace from 1200 GMT.The IAA said it saw minimal risk for the next 24 hours but said northerly winds forecast for the coming days could bring more clouds of ash from the Icelandic eruption and disruption for passengers this week."We could be faced with this periodically during the summer," IAA Chief Executive Eamonn Brennan said. "We are probably facing a summer of uncertainty due to this ash cloud."EARNINGS HITMuch of European air traffic was grounded last month because of the spread of ash from an erupting volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland. Some 100,000 flights were cancelled and millions of passengers stranded.Fresh ash from the erupting volcano could cloud airspace over northern Britain for the next few days following a change in direction of the wind, Iceland's meteorological office said.Britain's easyJet warned of some disruption on flights to and from Scotland on Wednesday.Last month's airspace closures cost Europe's airlines 1.5 billion to 2.5 billion euros ($2 billion-$3.3 billion), the European Commission has estimated.The International Air Transport Association said European carriers would bear the brunt of global industry losses which it has estimated at $2.8 billion this year.It also said IATA airlines faced just under 200 million euros in food and hotel costs for stranded passengers. Airlines have been battling to get some relief from governments.But the EU transport ministers meeting on Tuesday rejected the idea of financial aid for airlines.The EU's executive had proposed deferring certain air traffic control charges but the move drew worries from some countries over unfair competition.A total of 10 million people saw their travel plans disrupted as a result of the mid-April shutdown, many facing delays of days or even weeks before finding available flights.Former Irish state airline Aer Lingus said that last month's shutdown of several days cut its earnings by about 20 million euros ($27 million). The final bill will hinge on the impact on passengers' longer-term travel plans.Shares in Aer Lingus, which also separately reported encouraging first-quarter trading on Tuesday, were down 5 percent in late trading, while Ryanair, which is much less dependent on the Irish market, was down 2.4 percent.Air France-KLM, British Airways, Iberia and Lufthansa were all down between 4 and 5 percent in a weak market because of the spectre of further chaos."While the current airspace restrictions are likely to be brief, we can't rule out persistent sporadic air travel disruptions in parts of Europe going forward depending on ash cloud movement," Deutsche Bank commodities analyst Michael Lewis said.(Additional reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian in Dublin, Michael Holden and Caroline Copley in London, Philip Blenkinsop in Brussels, Tim Hepher in Paris and Maria Sheahan in Frankfurt; editing by Alison Williams)News posted by www.newsinfoline.com
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