Iceland volcano ash to close main Dutch airports: authorities

Ash clouds from the Icelandic volcano have forced the closure of Schiphol Amsterdam and Rotterdam airports from 6:00 am (0400 GMT) to 2:00 pm Monday, the Dutch aviation officials have announced.

The decision had been based on information from the Dutch meteorological service, Marjolein Wenting, a spokeswoman for the Dutch air traffic control, service, told AFP.

The Netherlands joined airports in Britain and Ireland, which have also been forced to close down because of the latest clouds of ash, provoked by a surge in activity from Iceland's Eyjafjoell volcano.

Dutch airports were among those closed when much of European airspace was closed for up to a week in April following the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjoell volcano.

It was the biggest shutdown of the continent's airspace for more than 50 years.