No-fly zone to be extended

The Civil Aviation Authority's no-fly zone has been extended, closing airports including Manchester, Liverpool, East Midlands and Prestwick due to a cloud of volcanic ash, the air traffic authority Nats said.

Parts of the airspace above Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Republic of Ireland are already closed after wind blew ash from an erupting Icelandic volcano above the UK and more flights are set to be grounded as the cloud spreads to the south and east.

A statement on the Nats website said the no-fly zone will be extended between 1pm and 7pm to include Manchester, Liverpool, Carlisle, Doncaster, Humberside and East Midlands airports, all airports in Northern Ireland and Scottish airports, including Prestwick.