A cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland is spreading from the North Atlantic across northern Portugal and Spain, closing airports across the region, according to the regional flight controller.

The ash, from eruptions of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland, has spread south from the North Atlantic and is also covering parts of southern France, according to charts provided by Eurocontrol, which coordinates air traffic across Europe.

British travelers faced disruption yesterday when more than two dozen flights from Britain were cancelled because of new plumes of ash from the Icelandic volcano. The cancellations — which mainly affected Ryanair and easyJet services operating out of Stansted and Gatwick — came as scientists produced the first internal map of Eyjafjallajokull’s network of magma chambers, which extend 12 miles below the ground.

A new ash cloud has risen 30,000ft into the air and drifted south after a pulse of meltwater and ice poured into the volcano last week. The water caused huge explosions as it hit the hot lava, generating more ash plumes.

European aviation regulators have imposed a maximum safe limit of 0.002 grammes of ash per cubic metre of air, meaning that if levels rise above this flights cannot enter that airspace.

(Source: Bloomberg.com / Times UK)