By the CNN Wire Staff
(CNN) -- Airspace over Ireland will reopen Tuesday afternoon after ash from an Icelandic volcano forced a six-hour shutdown, the Irish Aviation Authority announced.
The IAA grounded all flights into and out of Ireland at 7 a.m. (2 a.m. ET) Tuesday because of the risk that airline engines would fill with ash.
Predicted ash concentrations exceeded acceptable tolerance levels set by engine manufacturers, it said.
By mid-morning, however, the IAA said there wouldn't be as much ash as predicted in the skies over Ireland, and that the airspace would reopen at 1 p.m. (8 a.m. ET).
Airspace over Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, was also closed until 1 p.m. but no decision has been made on reopening it, said a spokesman at the National Air Traffic Services, which controls airspace over the territory.
The closure also affected airports in the west of Scotland, NATS said.
The shutdown affects landings and takeoffs only in the closed areas; flights are still permitted to fly over the areas at higher altitudes.
European aviation officials closed airports across the continent for six days last month because of an ash cloud from the erupting Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland.
CNN
