As Yorkshire takes off again, stranded air travellers return home at last... on coaches

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced the reopening of airspace from 10pm yesterday with a spokesman for BAA, which operates Heathrow, saying it would do everything possible to "get people moving".

But thousands remain trapped across the globe in the chaos caused by the eruption of Mount Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland.

Lord Adonis said safety was the "paramount concern".

"Since the flight restrictions were imposed, the CAA have been working around the clock with the aircraft manufacturing industry, the airlines and the research community to better understand how different concentrations of ash affect aircraft engines," he said.

"As a result, the CAA has now established a wider area in which it is safe to fly, consistent with the framework agreed by the EU transport ministers.

"In addition to this change in restrictions, we are maintaining increased capacity to help passengers get home. There are an extra 20,000 passenger places a day across Eurostar, Eurotunnel and the Channel ferries."

The first flights to leave Yorkshire took off from Leeds Bradford Aitport just after 7am today, to Spain and Portugal. However, many other flights, including some to Italy, France and the Netherlands, were cancelled.

Incoming flights to Leeds were also cancelled this morning, as were many flights to and from Doncaster.

Jet2.com and Jet2holidays.com yesterday said 19 coaches had returned more than 1,500 of its passengers from Barcelona, Alicante, Murcia, Malaga and Lanzarote to Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle Airports.

A further 3,000 of its passengers are expected to return home via coach and ferry over the next few days with the Foreign Office earlier warning it could take weeks to return everyone stranded abroad.

Among the lucky ones to return last night was Carla Soto, 32, of York, who held her arms aloft as she got off a coach that had taken her and her husband between Barcelona and Leeds Bradford International Airport.

"We are relieved to be back. I was so happy to see Dover port."

Also arriving back were members of the Borough of Kirklees Swimming Club who had been on a training camp in Calella and who were due to return on Sunday.

Mia Green, 12, of Gomersal, said the journey by coach and ferry took around 27 hours. Her mother Lisa Green, said it was "fantastic" to have her daughter home.

Also in the party was Heather Simon, 15, of Roberttown, Dewsbury, who was met by her mother Karen Simon, who said: "It's just wonderful to get them back.

"She has a GCSE exam on Friday so we were getting worried."

Jet2.com managing director Ian Doubtfire said: "It is our absolute priority to get our passengers back to the UK as soon as we possibly can and we are currently in the process of a wide scale repatriation programme to bring our passengers home."

Elsewhere chief executive of travel group Thomas Cook Manny Fontenla-Novoa made similar assurances to passengers.

He said: "Throughout Europe we are working round the clock to bring our customers home and get our flying programmes back to normal as quickly as possible."

Some Britons anxious to get home got as far as Barcelona only to find a strike prevented them travelling through France by train.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband made a direct appeal to Britons stranded across the world to make sure airlines provided them with accommodation and food. He said more than 100 coaches would play a part in a Madrid "hub" rescue plan.

Meanwhile, the Unite union warned that the massive disruption from the ash cloud would lead to jobs being cut in the airline industry.

The Irish budget carrier Ryanair said the disruption was costing it around about 5.25m a day.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said he hoped his children would be able to fly home today after being stranded in Spain where they were staying with their mother's family.

Passengers face tablets problem

Stranded passengers who are running out of medicines should carry on taking their normal dose, the National Pharmacy Association has advised.

Patients stuck abroad amid the volcanic ash cloud crisis have been calling their pharmacists in the UK for help.

The association said people who were running out of medicines should stick to the prescribed dose and should not start "rationing".

They should also seek help from a local pharmacy, taking their medicine and its packaging with them.

If a patient did not know the name of the medicine or did not have the packaging, they should call their pharmacy, doctor or a member of their family back home and ask for help.

If all else fails, they should visit a local hospital or contact the British Embassy in the country they are in.