Due to a huge volcano eruption in Iceland most airports in the north west of Europe are closed. So far all airports in the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium and parts of Germany are closed due to a cloud of dust high in the atmosphere. As a result there are massive travel disruptions to and from airports in Europe and it's effecting flights to other parts of the world as well. This also means of course that Islay airport is closed and flights from other parts of the world to London, Glasgow and other Scottish airports are cancelled too. If you happen to be on Islay I guess you're lucky but if you've planned your holiday in the next days it is likely to effect you. The forecast is that the disruption can last at least a couple of days.

The BBC reports: "All flights in and out of the UK and several other European countries have been suspended as ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland moves south. Up to 4,000 flights are being cancelled with airspace closed in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark among others. The UK's air traffic control service (Nats) said no flights would be allowed in UK airspace until at least 0700 BST on Friday amid fears of engine damage. Safety group Eurocontrol said the problem could persist for 48 hours. The airspace restriction was the worst in living memory, a Nats spokesman said. The eruption under a glacier in the Eyjafjallajoekull area of Iceland is the second in the country in less than a month. Prof Bill McGuire, professor at the Aon Benfield UCL Hazard Research Centre, said it was not "particularly unusual" for ash from Icelandic eruptions to reach the UK. "Such a large eruption... would have the potential to severely affect air travel at high northern latitudes for six months or more. "In relation to the current eruption, it is worth noting that the last eruption of Eyjafjallajoekull lasted more than 12 months."

Update: Loganair restarted flights to Islay and a few other Scottish islands on the west coast. Flights to England are cancelled until at least Saturday morning.

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