Volcanic Ash Reaches Spain, Morocco, Turkey

Volcanic ash from Iceland wound its way south to North Africa and curled eastward, forcing authorities for the first time to shut down airports in Morocco, as well as in Spain and, briefly, in Turkey.

Ten airports in Morocco, among them Casablanca, Rabat-Sale, Tangiers, Fez, Agadir and Essaouira — almost all major tourist stops — were closed until at least 7 a.m. (0600 GMT, 2 a.m. EDT) Wednesday.

A Transport Ministry statement carried by the official MAP news agency said it wants "to guarantee a maximum level of security for passengers" as the ash cloud passes over the kingdom on the Atlantic Coast.

Airports in Morocco, on the African continent and some 3,780 kilometers (2,350 miles) from Iceland, were not affected last month when the April 14 eruption of the Eyjafjallajokul (pronounced ay-yah-FYAH-lah-yer-kuhl) volcano forced at least a five-day suspension of air traffic in Europe. This time, the ash pushed south, forcing even the small airport in the Moroccan town of Tan-Tan, just north of the Western Sahara territory, to close.

The ash also was causing havoc Tuesday in nearby Spain, forcing airports to shut down in the Canary islands of Tenerife, La Palma and La Gomera, affecting dozens of tourist flights. On the Spanish mainland, 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the Canary islands, airports at Seville and Jerez in the south and Badajoz in the east were closed.

Spain also kept restrictions on planes flying between 20,000 feet and 35,000 feet (6,100 meters and 10,770 meters) above the ground, mainly affecting trans-Atlantic flights to and from other European countries. Up to 20 Spanish airports, including the international hub at Barcelona, had to close over the weekend because of the ash.

Flights west and southwest of Istanbul were suspended for several hours Tuesday afternoon due to the ash cloud, before Turkey's aviation authority announced the reopening of the airspace at 1515 GMT (11:15 a.m. EDT).

Istanbul's two airports remained open throughout the period.

Elsewhere, the dense ash in the middle of the North Atlantic — which caused severe flight disruptions over the weekend — was dispersing, easing the need to reroute trans-Atlantic flights around it and cutting down on delays, the Eurocontrol air traffic control agency reported.

Approximately 29,000 flights were operating Tuesday in Europe, about normal for this time of year, according to the Brussels-based agency.

Meteorologists say until the volcano in southern Iceland stops erupting, aviation in Europe will be heavily affected by how prevailing winds distribute the ash. The last time the same volcano erupted, the action went on from 1821 to 1823.

More on Iceland Volcano Fallout:

Volcanic Ash Delays Trans-Atlantic Flights
Atlantic Ash Cloud Causing Sky-High Traffic Jams
New EU Airspace Rules to Arise From Ashes?
Volcano Travel Delays Abate as Fliers Head Home
Airlines Start Sorting Fliers, Licking Wounds
Why Volcano Ash Was Safe for Photographers
Iceland's Fiery Volcano

The resulting travel chaos saw the cancellation of more than 100,000 flights - stranding passengers around the world and causing airlines direct losses of more than euro1 billion ($1.3 billion).

The Association of European Airlines said the losses caused by this weekend's disruptions, which affected less than 2 percent of scheduled flights, were likely to be negligible.

"In terms of airspace closures, there were bits and pieces here and there, but these were relatively short term," said David Henderson, a spokesman for the group.

"Trans-Atlantic traffic has also not been severely disrupted, but there has been lengthy re-routings which affected fuel burn, and also led to knock-on disruptions and delays," he said. "Those are the kind of losses that it will be much harder to put figures to."

Air France KLM reported a 15.9 percent slump in traffic in April because of airport closures brought about by the ash. The disruptions cost Air France KLM euro35 million ($46 million) per day in operating income for all suspended operations, the company said Monday.

Air France KLM said the affect on cargo traffic was minimal, with a drop of just 2 percent in April, since most goods were stocked until flights resumed.

Lufthansa pointed out that international aviation authorities have yet to fix a safe level of ash contamination.

"We're not thinking what to do if there are other events like this, because we don't have a crystal ball to see into the future," said Wencke Lenes, a spokeswoman for the airline. "We're focused on trying to get the authorities to determine a safe level of ash, so that there are no more unnecessary closures of airports and airspace."

Eurocontrol said all airports in Europe were operating normally Monday, including those in Spain. Up to 20 Spanish airports, including international hub Barcelona, had closed over the weekend. Lisbon airport also reopened after being forced to close Sunday.

But Eurocontrol warned that a finger of oceanic ash was still threatening parts of the Iberian peninsula.

"During the afternoon, areas of higher ash concentration are predicted to move in a northeasterly direction from Portuguese airspace towards the center of Spain with the potential of airport closures during the afternoon and evening," spokeswoman Kyla Evans said.

Eurocontrol says it expects approximately 28,500 flights to take place within Europe - slightly below the average for this time of year.