In Ms. McDonagh's case, she was stranded for a week in April 2010 in Faro, Portugal, trying to get back to Dublin as the ash cloud lingered and European governments dithered about whether they could safely reopen their airspace.
But because it was unclear which ash density levels were safe for jets, the authorities were slow to reopen their airspace — resulting in the worst peacetime air travel disruption in history.
Norway reopened its airspace after closing a half-dozen airports along the western coast.
"After close coordination with our Turkish allies, they have reopened their airspace to military aircraft," the Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook said.
PARIS —After two successive days of restrictions, the British and Irish authorities reopened their airspace to all flights on Thursday as a plume of ash from a volcano in Iceland drifted over the northern Atlantic overnight.
London time that Scottish airspace would reopen Tuesday morning and that restrictions over England and Wales, including the London area, might be lifted later in the day.
Below 20,000 feet, NATS said on Monday afternoon, Scottish airspace might reopen Tuesday morning and that restrictions over England and Wales, including the London area, might be lifted later in the day.
But they were able to ship existing flag pins and American flags immediately after the nation's airspace reopened.
THE AMERICAS CANADA -- Struggling with more than 240 diverted planes and 30,000 stranded passengers, Canada reopened its domestic airspace but warned of delays as it tightened security.
But it found that no one at the White House above the rank of Richard A. Clarke, then the White House counterterrorism chief, had approved the flights, and that none had occurred before the morning of Sept. 13, when national airspace reopened.
