On Wednesday, a cloud of abrasive ash drifting south from the Icelandic volcano disrupted flights anew, to and from Ireland and Scotland. <br /><br />Two airports serving Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, were closed until at least 1800 GMT, while flights from the Irish capital, Dublin, faced restrictions until at least 2300 GMT. <br /><br />The European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said on Wednesday, that about 300 of the 29,000 scheduled flights were likely to be cancelled across Europe. <br /><br />English services at the airports of Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds and Manchester could also be affected. <br /><br />Britain's official weather forecaster, the Met Office, say that the ash would remain over much of Ireland, Scotland and western England into Thursday, while continuing to move south. <br /><br />And Britain's Civil Aviation Authority says it does not expect problems in the southeast, where the major airports serving London are located. <br /><br />Tuesday was the first test of a European system of progressive closures, including partial no-fly zones. <br /><br />European transport ministers have agreed to set safety limits for flying through the ash that can paralyse jet engines, and to unify European airspace. <br /><br />The European Commission estimates that last month's airspace closures cost Europe's airlines between one half and two half billion Euros.
