Latest advice from the Met Office and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) suggests that volcanic ash cloud cover above Scotland should clear overnight with normal air services expected to resume tomorrow.
Reflecting the changeability of the volcanic ash cloud, the CAA imposed a no-fly zone on Edinburgh Airport from 1pm today after reporting earlier, in its 2am update, that Edinburgh "can safely remain open". The no-fly status for Edinburgh Airport was lifted at 7pm. Glasgow airport is expected to reopen at 1am.
“The situation for UK airspace, particularly over the North and Scotland, remains unprecedented," said Andrew Haines, CAA Chief Executive.
"Volcanic ash is a known hazard to aircraft and the previously accepted procedure adopted all over the world was to avoid ash completely. For the first time an ash cloud is affecting airspace where there is not the room to do this. So the CAA had to develop new safety procedures enabling flights to continue whilst flying close to or through the ash cloud. We were able to reopen the skies last month having secured agreement from manufacturers on safe levels of ash tolerance."
Haines says that predicting the level of ash cover in UK airspace is made more complex by the changing weather patterns and variablity of the ash eruptions.
“Scientists are tracking the cloud's movements constantly but its location changes frequently, depending on the strength of eruptions and prevailing winds. When the ash level exceeds that agreed as safe by the industry we have to restrict flights accordingly. This decision is not taken lightly and we appreciate the huge inconvenience and disruption this causes to the many people and businesses affected."
Haines added: “Ash is likely to continue to disrupt UK air travel for the foreseeable future and our advice to passengers is to listen to updates and contact their airline before leaving home if they are concerned their travel plans may be affected.”
"Poll to go ahead as planned"
Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson met with the Scottish Government Resilience Cabinet sub-committee meeting, that is responding to the volcanic ash situation, this morning.
"We received updates from key agencies, including the Met Office, CAA and the National Air Traffic Service (NATS), who are all responding to the challenges posed by the return of the ash to our airspace. SGoRR also discussed the importance that agencies ensure that all future passenger and customer information is accurate and consistent," he said.
Stevenson also responded to concerns that polling in more remote parts of Scotland, in tomorrow's UK General Election, might be impacted.
"We also discussed the mechanics of getting ballot boxes in place for tomorrow's UK Parliamentary election and received assurances from returning officers in Argyll and Bute, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles that boxes are already deployed to allow tomorrow's poll to go ahead as planned."
He added: "Train and bus operators have also once again moved quickly to boost capacity with additional bus services between Scotland and London and increased capacity on services between Glasgow and the Port of Stranraer."
The Cabinet Sub-Committee will meet again tomorrow.
"While current forecasts indicate that normal air services should resume tomorrow, this volcano is unpredictable and the threat of further volcanic ash cover in the coming weeks remains," warned Stevenson.
Health impact of volcanic dust samples
According to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) "analysis of dust samples demonstrates no risk at present to human health - health experts advise those with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, to keep medication to hand when outdoors."
Ongoing environmental monitoring continues across Scotland's network of 75 air monitoring sites and 25 radioactivity monitoring sites.