Home> Environment
Iceland volcano eruption grounds 223 flights in Portugal
May-10-2010

The ash cloud produced by the eruption of Iceland's volcano Eyjafjallaj-kull has led to the cancellation of 223 flights in Portugal since it regained strength on Thursday, Portugal's airport authorities said Sunday.

"There have been restrictions in different parts of the country's airspace due to the atmospheric perturbation, which had led us to cancel 223 flights till the midday of Sunday," Portugal's airport authorities said in a statement.

In Lisbon, the capital, 71 flights were cancelled from Thursday to midday Sunday, of which 36 were departures. In the northern airport of Oporto, 119 flights were canceled.

In the Azores archipelago, 25 flights were canceled, as were eight others in Madeira.

Eyjafjallaj-kull regained momentum after a temporary period of milder activity. Before that, the volcano began erupting on March 21, producing an ash cloud that affected nearly all of Europe.