"It looks like all international airports will not be clear for take-off and landing tonight," Civil Aviation Administration spokeswoman Hjordis Gudmundsdottir told AFP.

The main Keflavik airport had shut at 7:00 am (0700 GMT) due to high concentrations of ash, while the smaller Reykjavik airport closed shortly after that, she said.

The Akureyri Airport in the north of the country, where all international flights were re-routed over the weekend, was still open, Gudmundsdottir said, adding however that "it looks like that airport too will close tonight."

The cloud of ash still spewing from the Eyjafjoell volcano that disrupted flights across Europe for days earlier this month was lying thick over the coastal areas, she said.

"Right now, all the (four) international airports are in the cloud," Gudmundsdottir said.

The airport closures could be short-lived though, she added, pointing out that aviation officials hoped to reopen Keflavik early Wednesday.

The Eyjafjoell volcano, which began erupting on April 14, was still active Tuesday but spewing only a small amount of ash.

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook