The Scottish government has launched an alert system to help travellers find out the current levels of disruption to Scottish flights caused by ash eruptions from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland.
The three levels of volcanic disruption - "Level 1 - No Disruption", "Level 2 - Likely Disruption", and "Level 3 - Current Disruption" - are designed to give an "instant snapshot of the current situation" using information from NATS, the CAA and the Met Office. The latest update is Level 3.
The move comes after the Met Office launched its five-day volcanic ash charts, and as travellers to Scotland and the UK deal with the latest disruptions caused by a fresh plume of volcanic ash dispersing South from Iceland.
Although Edinburgh and Glasgow airports remain open, in Scotland the no-fly restriction has impacted Prestwick, Campbeltown, Barra and Islay airports (closed at 1pm hours today). All airspace above Northern Ireland remains closed and the no fly restriction has been extended to further airports in England as the ash cloud changes shape and moves south.
Additional capacity is being made available on other modes of transport, including an extra 7,000 seats on Virgin trains.
"Once again Scotland is facing disruption and we are working hard to minimise the impact on the travelling public," said Finance Secretary John Swinney today.
"That action includes our new web pages which will give people instant access to simple information about the current situation, plus access to a wealth of other valuable information.
"Current predictions suggest the situation is likely to worsen over the next 24 hours before easing into Tuesday. As ever passengers are strongly advised to contact their airlines before travelling to the airportand may wish to consider alternative travel arrangements if possible."
Scottish Government's Three Levels of Disruption
Status: Level 1 - No Present Disruption
Ongoing volcanic activity in Iceland, levels of volcanic ash in the atmosphere and changing weather patterns mean that there is a continuing risk of disruption to air services to and from Scotland. Current advice suggests no immediate prospect of disruption however air passengers are strongly advised to contact their airlines before travelling to the airport. The latest situation is being monitored by NATS, the National Air Traffic Service and the Met Office, while information is available from individual airports .
Status: Level 2 - Likely Disruption
Ongoing volcanic activity in Iceland, levels of volcanic ash in the atmosphere and changing weather patterns mean that there is an increased risk of disruption to air services to and from Scotland. Current advice suggests there may be further disruption to flights and passengers are strongly advised to contact their airlines before travelling to the airport and may wish to consider the need for alternative travel arrangements. Passengers need to be aware that not all airports may be affected in the same way.
The latest situation is being monitored by NATS, the National Air Traffic Service, and the Met Office, while information is available from individual airports. Decisions on restrictions applying to Scottish airspace are the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority and NATS and are taken on the basis of Met Office forecasting data, in line with an agreed EU-wide approach. Restrictions are kept under constant review.
Status: Level 3 - Current Disruption
Ongoing volcanic activity in Iceland, levels of volcanic ash in the atmosphere and changing weather patterns mean that there is disruption to air services to and from Scotland, with some Scottish airspace/airports currently within a no fly zone. Passengers are strongly advised to contact their airlines before travelling to the airport and may wish to consider the need for alternative travel arrangements. Passengers need to be aware that not all airports may be affected in the same way.
The latest situation is being monitored by NATS, the National Air Traffic Service, and the Met Office, while information is available from individual airports. Decisions on restrictions applying to Scottish airspace are the responsibility of the Civil Aviation Authority and NATS and are taken on the basis of Met Office forecasting data, in line with an agreed EU-wide approach. Restrictions are kept under constant review.
Flying to Edinburgh (or Glasgow) airport (with Eyjafjallajökull links)