Volcano eruption forces closure of Iceland airspace

"There are no international flights in or out of Iceland at this time," Keflavik International Airport spokeswoman Hjordis Gudmunsdottir said.

Officials will reassess the situation at midnight Sunday (8 p.m. EDT), she added.

There was "no impact on European or transatlantic flights" after the Grimsvotn volcano's eruption, and none was expected on Sunday, Europe's umbrella air traffic control association Eurocontrol said.

Ash is expected to reach Scotland on Tuesday and could enter France and Spain on Thursday, Eurocontrol said.

Last year, another Icelandic eruption, of the volcano Eyjafjallajokull, attracted worldwide attention after its ash cloud disrupted air travel across Europe.

Weather patterns this weekend have been very different from the northerly winds that swept through the region after last year's eruption, a spokeswoman for the official United Kingdom weather agency said. But she said the ash cloud's movement is difficult to predict.

Ash could reach the United Kingdom and northern continental Europe Wednesday, she said.

The Grimsvotn volcano under the Vatnajokull glacier erupted Saturday, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

A dark cloud of smoke rose from the glacier, and scientists flew over the scene to evaluate the event, according to CNN affiliate TV2 Iceland. The last eruption of the volcano was in 2004, TV2 Iceland reported.

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