300 Europe flights to be cut due to volcanic ash

Around 300 of a scheduled 29,000 flights were likely to be cancelled in Europe on Wednesday due to the closure of airspace over Ireland and western Scotland, the European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said.

"The situation is not expected to improve in this area during the day," the agency said in a statement. "The whole of Ireland, west Scotland and north-west England could be affected, with risk to operations at Manchester and Liverpool airports," it continued. (Reuters)