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Iceland has reopened the airspace above its largest volcano after scientists downgraded its threat to 'orange'. 

The directive came after the country's Met Office today issued a 'red alert' this morning after the Bardarbunga volcano erupted last night.

Even though no volcanic ash was detected, authorities took the unusual step of banning all flights over the volcano in a move that echoed the Eyjafjallajokull ash cloud disaster which brought European air travel to a standstill for six days in 2010.

Warning: A sign telling visitors that the road to the Vattnajokull glacier, the site of the Bardarbunga volcano, is closed amid fears of a major eruption

Rumbling: The rumblings at Iceland's largest volcano system, which is covered by a several hundred meters thick glacier, have raised worries of an eruption that could spell trouble for air travel

The eruption just after midnight took place in a lava field not covered by ice.

The risk of an ash cloud is highest in case of a sub-glacial eruption.

'The Icelandic Met Office has raised the aviation colourcode over the eruption site to red and the Icelandic Air Traffic Control has closed down the airspace from the earth up to 18000 feet,' Iceland's National Crisis Coordination Centre said. 

'Red alert' after Iceland's Bardarbunga volcano erupts

Authorities in the area are on high alert, closing roads to the volcano as well as airspace above it

Volatile: Bardarbunga is located under Iceland's largest glacier and it has been rocked by thousands of earthquakes for nearly two weeks.=

'No volcanic ash has been detected with the radar system at the moment....Seismic eruption tremor is low indicating effusive eruption without significant explosive activity.

'Icelandic Met Office spokeswoman Kristin Gudmundsdottir said activity at the fissure seemed to be unchanged in the morning hours after decreasing two hours after the eruption started.

The red warning code indicates that an eruption is imminent or underway, with a risk of ash. 

Get a look at this: Tourists photograph the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in southern Iceland in March 2010

Risks: The risk of an ash cloud is highest in case of a sub-glacial eruption, such as this, the Eyjafjallajokull eruption of 2010

Grounded: Passengers look at a flight board displaying dozens of cancellations during the Eyjafjallajokull crisis in 2010

There are fears that an eruption could disrupt air travel over Europe, but Iceland's meteorological office says there is no evidence that a large eruption is underway. 

Bardarbunga is located under Iceland's largest glacier and it has been rocked by thousands of earthquakes for nearly two weeks.

More than 400 earthquakes were detected between midnight and 6am yesterday. The strongest one yet occurred on Tuesday morning with a magnitude of 5.7.

While airlines remain on alert and travellers nervously book flights, UK-based travel company Discover the World has received plenty of its interest in its 'volcano hotline'.

The tour operator is planning to fly customers to the eruption site – if there is one – and almost 200 people have signed up over the last week.

In 2010, Discover the World took tourists to the Fimmvorduhals eruption in south-western Iceland.

That eruption occurred about a month before the Eyjafjallajokull volcano spewed a massive cloud of ash that shut down much of Europe's airspace for six days, causing widespread travel chaos during the crisis.