FLYING? YOU'D BE QUICKER RUNNING

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FLIGHTS were still grounded this morning and hundreds of Bristolians remain stranded abroad as a cloud of volcanic ash caused travel chaos across Europe.

National Air Traffic Services (Nats) announced last night that almost no flights would be permitted in UK controlled airspace until at least 1pm this afternoon.

Ryanair has already announced a blanket ban on all weekend flights. Its scheduled flights to and from the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, northern France, northern Germany, Poland, and the Baltic States are cancelled until 1pm on Monday.

And British Airways have cancelled all flights to and from London Airports today but there may be limited flights from Manchester and Liverpool airports this morning.

More than 50 per cent of all Europe's flights were cancelled yesterday with the crisis costing airlines an estimated £130 million a day.

Passengers due to fly from Bristol Airport were being advised to contact their airline for the latest information before setting off.

The ban has been in place since Thursday morning, as a volcanic ash cloud from Iceland passed over the UK. British scientific researchers sent up to investigate the plume warned the situation was still "very dangerous" for commercial flights. Last night the volcano was still erupting.

Bristolians have been stranded in Scotland and further afield across Europe and beyond.

Ruby Hayns-Worthington, 22, of Redland, was stranded in Chamonix after she attempted to catch her Scandinavian Airlines flight to Copenhagen, before flying on to Heathrow.

She had paid her transfer fee of 50 euro to get to Geneva Airport, but no one was able to give her any advice as to when she would fly, so the bar worker returned to stay with her friends.

Ms Hayns-Worthington said: "I am lucky that I have been able to stay with friends, because I know other people have not been able to. I am going to have to just keep looking at the website.

"They are really vague about flights and they are bound to be fully booked when they start again because there are thousands who want to fly into London."

A group of students due to travel to the city as part of the Bristol Bordeaux exchange had to change their plans. Five students, who were due to start the exchange late due to exams, will now come to Bristol later in the year after their flight was cancelled on Thursday.

Meanwhile a group of students from Queen Elizabeth's Hospital School were due to arrive back in Bristol this morning after a 28-hour coach journey back from Spain.

The 51 boys, aged 15 and 16, had been on an exchange in Madrid, and were due to fly back this weekend, but instead the school organised a coach to bring them home.

Head teacher Stephen Holliday said: "Their safety was paramount for us, and we are just glad that they are going to get back safely."

Dr Angela Gnanadurai, 26, of St Werburgh's, is stranded in Athens.

Dr Gnanadurai, who was meant to fly home on Thursday, has been told that she won't be able to get another flight until Friday.

She said: "I came out here on my own for a short break, and I have only got a couple of books and my laptop. I might go on some trips or something.

"I feel awful, because I should be back at work at Frenchay Hospital."

For the second day running yesterday, travellers unable to fly looked for alternative modes of transport.

Channel Tunnel high-speed train company Eurostar reported that its 58 services were full yesterday, which meant the company was able to handle more than 46,000 passengers on its trains running between London and Paris and Brussels.

Many people took to ferries to reach the Continent. P&O Ferries, whose routes include Dover-Calais, said it was unable to accept any further foot-passenger bookings before Monday "as a result of the unprecedented surge in demand due to the airline crisis". Meanwhile in the UK, Network Rail is helping operators to run more services to deal with the extra demand.

Robin Gisby, Network Rail's director of operations and customer services, said: "Network Rail is doing everything it can to help passengers.

"We have reviewed all engineering work we have planned for the next few days and where it will allow train operators to run existing or extra services, this work has been cancelled."

Royal Mail, which operates out of Bristol Airport, has also had its flights grounded and switched any mail that is usually flown to be delivered by road and rail.

For any holidaymakers who are stranded in Bristol, at least it looks like it will be a sunny weekend. Gemma Plumb, forecaster for the MeteoGroup, said: "The weekend should be really nice. It will be dry and fine, with plenty of sunshine. Temperatures will be around 16°C."

She said that the cloud of ash could move further south during the course of the weekend.

"As to how long it will stay around, it really depends on how long the volcano continues to erupt.

"If it does continue to erupt, we will continue to get ash. The wind direction is north westerly, blowing the cloud down towards us."

There have been reports that the volcanic ash could continue to affect the UK for up to six months.

Bristol University lecturer Dr Matthew Watson, an expert in observing volcanic ash cloud using satellite data and aircraft hazard mitigation, said that this could be the case, but would depend on the wind direction.

He said: "This cloud we are currently experiencing won't stay around for too much longer. But the last eruption of this volcano in 1821 kept going for about a year – and if it does the same this time we could be affected more over the next few months.

"But it really depends on the wind direction. The last time a volcano erupted in that area was a few years ago, but none of the ash affected us as it has this week. The fresh ash that is forming now appears to be going towards Scandinavia.

"The ash could fall, but if that does happen it will be a very small amount as most of it is passing straight overhead. People with chronic asthma are being warned to stay indoors, but that is only a precaution – this ash is not toxic. It isn't great to breathe it in but there is so little of it that it shouldn't affect you."

He added that even if the ash did not head towards the UK, there could still be problems for transatlantic flights, which tend to fly close to Iceland.

Yesterday the Health Protection Agency said that ash falling to the ground could cause itchy eyes, a runny nose, sore throat or dry mouth when the particles land. It advised those with conditions such as asthma to stay indoors if in any doubt.

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• Royal Mail air mail deliveries to the US are being taken over land to be flown from a Spanish airport