Attributed to an Emirates spokesperson:
More than a dozen European countries have closed their airspace as the volcanic activity in Iceland continues to cause widespread disruption. As a result, all Emirates flights to the UK and most other European destinations have been cancelled on the 17th and 18th April.
Currently, Emirates is only accepting passengers for the following European destinations:
• Moscow
• Athens
• Larnaca
• Malta
• Istanbul
These destinations could also be subject to cancellations if the path of the ash cloud continues to spread.
All passengers are advised to check the status of their flight on www.emirates.com before leaving for the airport. We ask that passengers do not go to the airport if their flight has been cancelled.
To date, over 40,000 Emirates passengers have been impacted by the closure of airspace in the UK and most of Europe.
Emirates is working on a contingency plan to ensure that we get flights and passengers moving as quickly as possible once airspace reopens. However, like every carrier, we cannot activate contingency plans until we receive clearance from European Air Traffic Control authorities. Until this happens, we cannot give firm timescales.
