Latvia has imposed a ban on flights in its airspace due to ash clouds from a volcanic eruption in Iceland, a spokesman for the Riga airport has said.
All the inbound and outbound flights from the Riga international airport will be suspended at least until 15.00 GMT on Friday, the official said.
The eruption of a volcano on the Eyjafjallajokull Glacier in Iceland, which began on Wednesday, has already paralyzed air traffic in the U.K., France, Germany, Belgium and the majority of Nordic countries.
Clouds of ash are moving in southeast direction and may soon reach the Baltic region.
Volcanic ash poses major flight hazard to aircraft because it could cause engine failures, damage the fuselage and seriously reduce visibility.
The tiny particles usually travel at altitudes which coincide with flight patterns of the majority of commercial jetliners (from 22,000 to 55,000 feet).
About 20,000 flights take place in Europe every day, and the Icelandic volcano ash has already caused over 20% of these to be canceled creating a major travel ordeal for hundreds of thousands of passengers.
RIGA, April 16 (RIA Novosti)
