A volcanic explosion in Iceland is not expected to disrupt flights travelling through Irish airspace in the next 24 hours, the Irish Aviation Authority has said.
The IAA said it would continue to monitor the situation and warned that flights in and out of Ireland could be affected later in the week.
The authority made the announcement after it received information from the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) in London.
The Grimsvotn volcano, which lies under the Vatnajokull glacier in southeast Iceland, started erupting on Saturday evening and forced the country to close its international airspace yesterday.
"We don't believe there will be any kind of disruption in the next 48 hours," Martin Towey, the IAA's senior aviation executive said but added that there "could possibly be some disruption towards the end of the week."
The European Commission described it as "an evolving situation" and said there was "a possibility of volcanic ash affecting European airspace, starting with north western Europe, including the UK and Ireland.”
Britain's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) also warned flights in the UK and Ireland may be disrupted tomorrow by an ash cloud billowing from Grimsvotn.
The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre said the ash cloud was likely to reach Ireland within 24 hours and has released images suggesting it will have blanketed the country by 6am tomorrow. It has warned airlines across Europe to prepare for possible disruption to flight schedules by the end of the week.
Last year the Eyjafjallajökull volcano led to European airspace closing for six days and while this eruption is considerably stronger, current wind directions have seen much of the ash falling mainly around Iceland.