London , England ( CNN ) -- London 's two major airports were closed Monday as a cloud of ash from a volcano in Iceland moved east into England , British air authorities said . All flights into and out of Heathrow and Gatwick airports have been canceled for a six-hour period beginning early Monday , airport officials said . The affected flights are those scheduled between 1 a.m. ( 8 p.m. Sunday ET ) and 7 a.m. ( 2 a.m . ET ) . The Monday cancellations were the latest in a round of weekend closures of airports across the United Kingdom and into continental Europe . Amsterdam 's Schipol Airport announced it would be closed Monday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. ( midnight Sunday to 8 a.m . ET ) , according to an airport spokeswoman , who said officials were waiting on guidance from air authorities to decide when flights will resume . Birmingham , Norwich Manchester and Liverpool airports were closed on Sunday evening , controllers announced . In addition , Dublin 's airport closed overnight , the Irish Aviation Authority said Sunday , and will remain closed until at least 9 a.m. ( 4 a.m. ) Monday . International flights through Irish airspace will not be affected , it said . Waterford airport was set to close at 11 p.m. ( 6 p.m. ) and four other Irish airports remain closed . Shannon , Cork and Kerry airports are open . Flights were also stopped at all airports in Northern Ireland , as well as the British airports at Ronaldsway , Prestwick , Carlisle , Doncaster , Humberside , Leeds Bradford and East Midlands . Some Scottish island airports also shut down , including Campbeltown , Islay and Barra , the air traffic control agency NATS announced . And if the volcano continues to erupt at current levels and weather conditions prevail , air travel in Britain could be disrupted between Sunday and Tuesday . `` The government is carefully monitoring this situation and the safety of passengers will remain our paramount concern , '' said Philip Hammond , transport secretary . The department said predictions remain fluid , urging passengers to check with airlines before taking any action . British Airways said it would notify passengers of potential disruptions on its website . `` There is a distinct possibility of some disruption from the ash cloud over the southeast of England , but it is too early to tell if this will extend as far as Heathrow or Gatwick yet , '' a BA spokesman told CNN . Volcanic ash had forced the closing of Iceland 's main airport Friday but it reopened at midnight and operated normally on Saturday . Earlier in the week , traffic was shut down in airports from central Spain to the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa . The problems began in mid-April , when the volcano beneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in southern Iceland erupted and sent a cloud of ash into the atmosphere , disrupting international travel for several days . There 's no way to know how long the volcano will continue spewing ash into the air , Georgia Tech scientist Josef Dufek told CNN . `` It could go on another year , '' he said , noting that an eruption lasted that long in 1820 . Volcanic ash can be a serious hazard to aircraft , reducing visibility , damaging flight controls and ultimately causing jet engines to fail . British ministers agreed Saturday that five-day ash-prediction charts would now be made available to airlines , other transport providers and the public on the Met Office website . Previously , only 18-hour forecasts had been available . CNN 's Caroline Paterson contributed to this report .
NEW : Amsterdam 's Schipol Airport to close Monday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m . Affected flights for Gatwick and Heathrow are scheduled between 1 a.m. and 7 a.m. Three of Ireland 's airports also affected , as well as Manchester and Liverpool . The airport is closed in the Netherlands because of a terrorist threat.