The Icelandic Met Office has lowered its aviation warning from red to orange.
It said the alert could be downgraded because no ash was detected in emissions from the overnight eruption of the country’s Bardarbunga volcano.
The new alert, the second-highest, means aviation authorities can now decide if aircraft may travel over the volcano’s airspace.
Earlier today, Icelandic Air Traffic Control closed the airspace above the eruption up to a height of 18,000 but now some aircraft will be able to pass over the volcano if aviation authorities give airlines permission.
Recent activity has raised fears of an eruption that might cause the same chaos for air traffic as the ash cloud from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010.
The ash cloud closed much of Europe’s airspace for six days and impacted thousands of flights.
