[loikrso]

LONDON (AP): Civil aviation authorities in Ireland say they are lifting the restrictions on most of the country's airspace and reopening airports in Dublin and Cork to air traffic.

The Irish Aviation Authority says in a statement released Friday that the ash cloud caused by a volcanic eruption in Iceland had moved away from the country's southeast and Irish airspace was open except for a block off the south coast.

They have not ruled out further restrictions if weather patterns change. Flights around the world have been canceled and passengers stranded as the ash cloud affected operations at some of the world's busiest airports. The ash is spewing from a volcano beneath Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull (ay-yah-FYAH'-plah-yer-kuh-duhl) glacier that began erupting Wednesday.