Air traffic over northern Germany is returning to normal after being disrupted by volcanic ash from Iceland. Planes have resumed taking off from and landing at Berlin’s airport, Hamburg and Bremen after being closed this morning, which resulted in the cancellation of about 700 flights.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group, has said a British Airways test flight over the north of England and Scotland, where the ash cloud was meant to be at its densest, on Tuesday “found nothing”.

Flights across northern Germany have been grounded because of ash from Iceland’s Grimsvotn volcano. Berlin, Bremen and Hamburg airports were closed this morning. But air traffic is returning to normal in other parts of northern Europe, a day after about 500 flights were cancelled across the region.

As Europe prepares for potential travel disruption caused by ash from the Grimsvotn volcano in Iceland, Hogg Robinson Group (HRG), the world class corporate travel services company, is reassuring clients that it has robust contingency plans in place once again to minimise any interference to their travel plans. 

The volcanic ash cloud is likely to miss London as it sweeps across the United Kingdom. However it has brought flights into and out of Scotland to a standstill, and Irish airspace has also been severely disrupted. Meanwhile Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has sparked controversy by claiming the cloud is “non-existent and mythical and misguided invention by the UK Met Office and the Civil Aviation Authority”.

Irish Ferries’ super ship Ulysses is poised to welcome any air travellers disrupted by another Icelandic volcano.