Germany's 'tough view on ash risk'

Germany closed part of its northern airspace on Wednesday because of ash from an erupting volcano in Iceland.

Bremen and Hamburg airports closed early on Wednesday, with traffic at Berlin's airports later forced to a halt.

The BBC's Stephen Evans in Berlin said that Germany's transport authorities have taken a tough view on the potential dangers posed by the ash.

While there has been no outright criticism of the decision, there is some unease in the airline industry because Germany's rules about flying through volcanic ash differ from the rest of Europe, he added.