European flights back to normal today: Eurocontrol

European air traffic was likely to be back to normal on Thursday after the end of almost all restrictions related to the spread of volcanic ash from Iceland, European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said.

Eurocontrol said in a statement it expected 28,000 to 29,000 flights to operate, with a small number of cancellations due to some limited restrictions and logistical problems of airlines.

"At the current time, almost all European airspace is available, with a few exceptions in parts of southern Finland, southern Norway, northern Scotland, and western Sweden," Eurocontrol said.