Travel chaos as massive volcanic ash cloud grounds all flights across British airspace

The eruption of Mount Eyjafjalljokull in the island's south-west grounded all non-essential air travel in Britain yesterday as conditions threatened the safety of aircraft.

Aviation chiefs last night said Britain's air space would remain closed until at least 1pm today as the ash cloud continues to track south and warned the ban on air travel could last longer. Airport bosses in Northern Ireland and Scotland will decide this morning on whether or not to permit limited flights.

Meanwhile airspace in Scandinavia, Ireland and Northern France has also been closed, with an estimated 4,000 flights cancelled across Britain and Europe last night.

Among those caught up in the travel chaos were schoolchildren from Rossett High School in Harrogate who were due to fly home from a school trip to Spain yesterday afternoon – while frustrated passengers elsewhere were left counting the cost of the cancelled flights.

Emergency flights are not affected by the ban but officials are still restricting services.

A critically-ill patient was flown from Prestwick in Scotland to London yesterday by a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter and then transferred to University College Hospital.

The flight was organised by the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC) at RAF Kinloss which was asked to help at 3.13am as alternative aircraft were unavailable.

Air traffic control company NATS ordered the airspace closure – the first in living memory – because of fears the ash clouds would clog up the engines of aircraft and seriously reduce visibility, endangering planes and passengers.

Geophysicist Einar Kjartansson at the Icelandic Meteorological Office, said the volcano was likely to continue sending ash into the sky for some days to come but weather would be the deciding factor as to whether it continued to affected British and European air travel.

A spokesman for NATS said: "In line with international civil aviation policy, no flights other than agreed emergencies are currently permitted in UK controlled airspace.

"No one can remember a time before when controlled airspace has been closed in the UK. This is certainly one of the most significant instances of flight restrictions in living memory.

"We certainly do not think we have over-reacted. Safety is our main priority and volcanic ash is a serious threat to aircraft."

The disruption is expected to continue well into today as airlines struggle to get schedules back to normal.

Speaking during the campaign trial yesterday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "The safety of our population is of the highest importance.

"It is a temporary decision. It will be reviewed at all times.

"But safety is the first and predominant consideration, and if any travelling public are inconvenienced I apologise, but it is important that everybody's safety comes first."

The extent of the disruption was apparent from the fact that normally about 1,300 flights and 180,000 passengers move in and out of Heathrow every day, while Gatwick Airport would normally handle 679 flights carrying 80,000 passengers.

Travellers scrambled to find alternative means of leaving the country, with passengers heading in their droves to cross-Channel ferries or take London to Paris and Brussels Eurostar trains.

Vulcanologist Dr Dougal Jerram at Durham University said the plume from the latest eruption was too high to have an impact on human health.

He said: "Ash can cause serious health problems but the high altitude of the current plume above the UK means that it is air traffic and not humans on the ground that will suffer."