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Empresas y finanzas

Ash cloud moves toward southeast France-Eurocontrol


    BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The area affected by volcanic ash from Iceland is expected to move northeast on Tuesday afternoon, cutting across the Iberian peninsula and into southeast France, European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said.

    The ash will move at high altitudes and is not expected to affect airports, Eurocontrol said.

    The ash cloud was affecting southern and central Spain as well as Portugal including the Canary Islands and Madeira on Tuesday morning, the agency said in a statement.

    All airports on the Canary Islands, except Las Palmas, were closed on Tuesday morning as well as some airports in Morocco.

    The areas of high ash concentration on high altitudes in the middle of the North Atlantic were dispersing, however, easing the previously difficult situation for trans-atlantic flights, Eurocontrol said.

    The agency said it expected 29,000 flights on Tuesday, which was close to normal for this time of year. On Monday, there were 29,155 flights.

    Separately, Morocco closed several airports on Tuesday as the cloud approached northwest Africa, its transport ministry said.

    (Reporting by Ben Deighton and Antonia van de Velde, editing by Dale Hudson)