Current volcanic ash presence in the atmosphere. Area within red line has ash from surface up to 20,000 feet, while the area within the dotted green line has ash from 20,000 to 35,000 feet. Source: Met Office, UK

TALLINN — Baltic airspace has been shut down Friday because of the large cloud of volcanic ash covering most of Northern Europe.

The explosion of the volcano underneath Iceland’s Eyjafjallajoekull glacier began on March 20 and on Wednesday started spewing ash into the sky. The ash clouds are made up of dust, rock particles and even glass, which makes flying dangerous. People with respiratory disorders could experience some discomfort, experts say, as ash starts float to ground.

All three airports in Lithuania, Riga airport in Latvia and Tallinn airport in Estonia have all had to cancel or delay flights because of the ash, but expect that the weekend schedule will continue as planned.

Tallinn airport is closed until at least 1 p.m. Saturday, while flights to and from Riga airport have officially been cancelled only up until 6 p.m. on Friday.

The head of Lithuania’s Civil Aviation Administration Kestutis Auryla told LTV that it is unknown exactly when Lithuanian airspace will be reopened. The whole country’s airspace is closed for Friday.

Flights into western Europe could be cancelled until Sunday, some aviation experts are predicting. Major hubs in Europe such as London Heathrow, Brussels and Paris have been cut off by the ash, sending a knock on effect to passengers across the globe.

The airspaces of the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands and Finland are completely closed, the BBC reported. Partial closures are being seen in Sweden, France, Germany, Poland and Austria.

Passenger rights

The European Commission advised that EU passenger rights do apply in this situation. Airlines must keep passengers informed about their itinerary, must provide refreshments, meals and accommodation as required during the delay and must offer a choice between reimbursement of fares or eventual delivery to the final planned destination.

Due to the exceptional circumstances however, passengers are not entitled to additional financial compensation normally available when the airline is at fault for delays.

See the full list of passenger rights for air passengers traveling to or from the EU here.

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