Brussels ? Aviation authorities say flights over Europe and the North Atlantic have returned to normal after ash spewing from an Icelandic volcano caused widespread disruptions this week.

The European air traffic management agency says patches of high ash concentrations in the Atlantic are clear of the routes used by flights between Europe and North America.

Eurocontrol says meteorological forecasts suggest the ash will not likely cause air traffic disruptions in coming days.

Last month, a large part of European airspace was closed when ash drifted over northern and western parts of the continent. It forced the cancellation of 100,000 flights, stranded hundreds of thousands of passengers and cost airlines more than $1.3 billion.