Ash returns to cancel Manchester flights
Manchester Airport has cancelled flights after ash from the eruption of Iceland's Grímsvötn Volcano is expected to reach parts of Scotland on Tuesday morning.
A Manchester Airport spokesperson said: "The Civil Aviation Authority has advised that high concentrations of ash from the volcanic eruption in Iceland will reach parts of Scotland during this morning.
"Consequently six flights between Manchester and Aberdeen and Inverness have been cancelled. Approximately 200 passengers who should have travelled on these services should check with their airline before coming to the airport. Edinburgh and Glasgow services are not currently affected.
"Manchester Airport will also today handle nine Thomas Cook and Thomson flights that should have departed from Glasgow and Edinburgh. A further five flights operated by these airlines to Glasgow and Edinburgh have also landed at Manchester with all passengers connecting by coaches arranged by their airlines.
"Other than this, Manchester Airport is operating normally and we do not expect this to change for the foreseeable future.
"We can reassure passengers with travel plans over the next few days that unlike 2010, the CAA will not close airspace.
"This is because since April 2010, the aviation industry has learnt enough about the effect of volcanic ash on aircraft to allow all flights to operate safely if low or medium concentrations of ash are present in the atmosphere.
"The CAA will work with the Met Office to advise airlines and airports precisely where ash is present in the atmosphere and at what density.
"Airlines will then use this information and test results from the manufacturers of aircraft engines to plan and operate flights safely."
Elsewhere in the North West, the majority of flights to and from Liverpool John Lennon Airport are unlikely to be affected by the recent eruption of Iceland's volcano, however, the airport said this is subject to change.
LJLA is advising passengers to keep an eye on the latest news reports and weather forecasts as the situation can change at short notice.
The airport is recommending passengers check the latest flight information direct with an airline or tour operator online as phone lines may be extremely busy.
LJLA said unless the airline or tour operator says a flight is affected, passengers must arrive at the airport as normal.
Blackpool International Airport told Place it has not got any disruptions at the moment to any of its flights as a result of the volcanic ash.
Flights across Europe were grounded last year due to an ash cloud coming from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland.
