Naviair spokeswoman Helle Kogsbell told AFP that authorities had partly closed Greenland airspace late Sunday "due to the spread of ash from the Icelandic volcano to the east coast of Greenland."

She said the airspace would remain shut until at least 1200 GMT Monday.

"The space, up to 6,000 metres (nearly four miles) of altitude, from north of Kulusuk. to Constable Point in the East, remains closed to air traffic," Kogsbell said.

Naviair is responsible for the airspace over Greenland only up to 6,000 kilometres, while Canada and Iceland have control over airspace above that.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011