Iceland volcano producing steam, no airspace closures

Iceland's volcano is producing mostly steam rather than ash and should calm down within a few days, national police said encouraging hopes there will be no further disruption to flights in northern Europe.

The Grimsvotn volcano's eruption over the weekend, which was more powerful than an explosion one year ago at another volcano, has caused far less chaos for travellers because of new rules for airlines. But it has exposed some disarray among the authorities which decide on aviation safety. "The volcano is still active, but there is just steam and smoke," Hjalmar Bjorgvinsson, superintendent at the national police, told Reuters.

"I hope in a few days it will go to sleep again. Everything is moving in the right direction."

European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said no airspace was closed due to volcanic ash on Thursday and there was expected to be very little or no impact on European air traffic over the next 48 hours.

The agency said about 900 flights had been cancelled between Monday and yesterday out of a total 90,000 planned flights over the three days.

The eruption forced cancellations in flights in Scotland, northern England, Germany and parts of Scandinavia.

Geophysicists say the worst appears to be over and that the volcano is not likely to start spewing big amounts of ash again, though volcanoes are extremely unpredictable.