The Met Office and National Air Traffic Services (NATS) have today (Sunday 16th May) extended the restrictions on parts of UK airspace as a result of a high concentration of volcanic ash continuing to drift across the country from Iceland.
These severe restrictions will cause disruption to all flights to and from Manchester Airport between 13:00 and 01:00 tomorrow (Monday 17 May). All passengers are advised to check with their airline before travelling to the airport this afternoon.
A spokesperson from Manchester Airport said "Long range forecasts indicate that the ash cloud may cause further disruption into tomorrow but this is not certain. If passengers who are planning to travel to or from Manchester Airport over the coming days are concerned about their flight, please check with your airline or monitor our website for official updates.
"There is absolutely no official suggestion or predication that the prolonged, continent-wide airspace restrictions experienced in April are about to occur again."
The spokesperson added "We would like to sincerely apologise to passengers travelling today for the inconvenience that this will cause. Please check our live flight information and updates are also available at our twitter page."
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The lifting of today’s airspace restrictions applies until 07:00 by which time the forecasts for the day ahead will allow the authorities to provide a further update for passengers.
Manchester Airport will therefore reopen from 01:00 on Monday 17 May and remain operational unless there is a further deterioration in conditions.
It is absolutely essential that people contact their airline before travelling to the airport for any flight because there are still high levels of ash contamination above parts of Britain which may bring further disruption.
Manchester Airport therefore reopened at 01:00 and will continue to be fully operational unless there is a further deterioration in conditions.
It remains essential for people to contact their airline before travelling to the airport for any flight because there are still high levels of ash contamination above parts of the UK which may bring further disruption during the morning.
Airports in the South East, parts of Scotland and Ireland, Paris and Amsterdam remain subject to some restrictions which means flights to and from these areas will be disrupted this morning. Some transatlantic services are also affected this morning.
A spokesperson from Manchester Airport said "There is absolutely no official suggestion or predication that the prolonged, continent-wide airspace restrictions experienced in April are about to occur again.
"We would once again like to thank passengers for their continued patience and understanding since this situation began yesterday."