Iceland volcano as it happened: 16 April

The volcanic cloud seen at its source

2105 The BBC is discontinuing this live update page. For the latest developments, please go to our main news page

2050 UK's air traffic control service, Nats advises that restrictions preventing flights in England and Wales will remain in place until at least 1300 BST on Saturday.

2019 British Airways extends its no-fly policy, cancelling all flights in and out of London throughout Saturday.

2001 Some flights are resuming in Northern Ireland as skies there begin to clear but service is limited, officials say.

1945Oli in Sevenoaks says:

It's turned very hazy in the last half an hour here and there's not a cloud in the sky anymore. Has it just dumped the ash on us?

1930 Sweden closes most of its airspace down again, after weather reports show the ash cloud is now likely to spread over the region Saturday and Sunday, Swedish aviation authorities say. Only a few airports in the northernmost part of the country remain open.

1857 BBC environment correspondent David Shukman:

Icelandic volcanoes tend to erupt for long periods, says our correspondent. How long the current one will continue is difficult to say, but it could continue for days, even months. When the volcano at the Eyjafjallajoekull glacier erupted two centuries ago, it went on for eighteen months, he adds.

1827 London taxi firm Addison Lee says it has received requests for cab journeys as far away as Paris, Zurich, Milan and Salzburg in Austria.

1801 AhmNoHere tweets:

According to the Easyjet website, there is still a flight to London Luton from Geneva TONIGHT. Read AhmNoHere's tweets

1752 Two Icelandair flights touched down just after 1700BST at Glasgow Airport, and a third was expected later, transporting a total of about 600 passengers to the UK, the airline said.

1745Mick in Folkestone says:

I just went out in the garden and you can smell sulphur in the air.

1731 Dermot Blastland, managing director of Thomson and First Choice Holidays, said: "We've decided to coach back all our ski customers over the weekend to free up flights, so that if the airspace becomes free then we've got more aircraft to bring everybody back. And we've also got 14 aircraft sitting overseas waiting to bring our customers back."

1725 Ryanair announces the cancellation of all scheduled flights to and from the UK, Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, northern France, northern Germany, Poland and the Baltic states until 1300BST on Monday.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary called the impact of the volcanic ash cloud "an unprecedented event in Ryanair's 26-year history", adding: "We cannot take any safety risks with our aircraft, passengers or people in the British Isles, Scandinavia or the northern Europe coastline, as long as current meteorological forecasts suggest that the prevailing winds will continue to spread this volcanic ash across the airspace of these countries".

1722 British Airways says it will be operating "a number of flights" from the US into Scotland overnight. All its flights to and from London airports were cancelled until at least 1000BST on Saturday, the airline added.

1709 The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that ash particles that fall to ground level could cause respiratory problems, especially for those suffering from asthma and respiratory diseases. WHO advised people to stay indoors if ash was falling.

In the UK, the Health Protection Agency and Scottish advisers stress the small amounts of ash are unlikely to cause any serious harm. But if people notice symptoms such as a runny nose, itchy eyes or cough they may want to go inside, they advised. Anyone with respiratory conditions such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma should ensure they have any inhalers or other medications with them, the recommendations add.

1659 Garry, in Oldham, says:

My car has had a light dusting of brownish gray soot on it since 2100 last night. Washed it this morning but just noticed the soot is settling back on the car, not washing it again.

1658 Jessica, in Greensboro, US, says:

My best friend was set to fly to London yesterday to meet up with her fiance. He's just back from Iraq and she hasn't seen him for months. Due to her work schedule, this was the one and only opportunity to see him for another 2-3 months. Her tears are absolutely heartbreaking.

1655 The Ministry of Defence says 550 military personnel due to be flown back to the UK are grounded in Cyprus.

1651 World airlines are losing at least $200m (£130m) in revenue a day because of flight disruptions, estimates the International Air Transport Association.

1646 Iceland's volcanic eruption, if it sets off the nearby, much larger Katla volcano, could continue for more than a year, prompting long-term flights chaos, warn Norwegian and Icelandic vulcanologists (quoted in Danish media reports).

1641 Nats to make further announcement at 2030BST about plans for UK airspace on Saturday.

1635 British Airways says it will look at the possibility of flying transatlantic services from Scotland after the opening up of some airspace there at 1900BST. BA normally only runs domestic services from Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

1632 BBC Scotland correspondent Colin Blane, at Glasgow Airport:

There's a sense of optimism as some restrictions on Scottish airspace have lifted, says our correspondent, with a flight having just left for Iceland from Glasgow.

1630 Alex Bristol, of UK air traffic control service Nats, said the parts of UK airspace being opened at 1900BST form a "more or less triangle, if you like, up to the west of Scotland, including the west Scottish airports, Shetlands, Orkneys, and Northern Ireland".

But he added that flights clearly could not "go east or south from there because that flies straight into the ash cloud".

"So we're basically looking at those between each other, or potentially to the west, so transatlantic flights are possible into those airports."

1617 Brian Flynn, of pan-European air traffic controllers Eurocontrol, said: "When you observe the size of the volcanic ash cloud, you can well imagine that it is very difficult for any significant movement of air traffic in the northern part of Europe to take place.

The disruption is major and unprecedented in Europe [but] unavoidable given the nature of the current problem Brian Flynn Eurocontrol

"The primary job of Eurocontrol and the airlines is to ensure the safety of the passengers. Whereas the disruption is major and unprecedented in Europe, it is unavoidable given the nature of the current problem.

"This volcanic cloud is expected to move further south and eastward through the night.

"Given the fact that this volcanic ash cloud has been quite stable and moving very slowly since it started 48 hours ago, it is reasonable to assume that there will be significant disruption of European air traffic tomorrow."

1614 eddieishere tweets: Do we even need air travel? It's sort of pleasant not having planes litter the sky. Read eddieishere's tweets

1610 In contrast to much of mainland Europe, Iceland's airspace remains open.

It's business as usual in terms of flights going in and out of Reykjavik, says the BBC's Ann Courtney from the Icelandic capital. Flights are departing for the US, Glasgow and Dublin. Some flights have been cancelled as a result of the airspace closures elsewhere in Europe though, she adds.

1601 Vicky Whatmough told BBC Radio 2:

My parents are refusing to remove their suitcases from the bedrooms and they're staging a sit-in Vicky Whatmough

"My parents were supposed to fly back from Delhi to Manchester yesterday, obviously couldn't get through - they were put up in a five-star hotel by Emirates so everyone was very happy, except that a representative from Emirates arrived at the hotel this morning to inform them that Emirates had now discharged their 24-hour duty of care to them and they were to vacate the hotel.

"They've decided this isn't good enough, so they are refusing to remove their suitcases from the bedrooms and they're staging a sit-in."

1555 Romania will close the north-western part of its airspace from 0300 local time on Saturday (0100 GMT), officials say.

1550 Professor Malcolm Green, from the British Lung Foundation, said: "In light of the latest news that ash from the volcanic eruption in Iceland has started to reach ground level in the UK, we would advise people living with a lung condition in affected areas to carry their medication as a precaution as they may experience a short-term worsening of symptoms."

The British Lung Foundation helpline can be called on 08458 50 50 20.

1538 Belgian airspace will remain closed until 1000 local time Saturday (0900 BST), Belgian media reports.

1527 The BBC's Daniel Boettcher at London's St Pancras railway station says Eurostar will lay on three additional departures to Paris for Saturday, adding 8,000 extra seats.

1522 Helen in York says:

I think Nats are making totally the right decision. It is causing a lot of people anguish and sleepless nights in airports abroad, but I'm sure they understand it's for their safety.

I do think the health service need to be clearer on their warnings for us at ground level as I have read conflicting information, one saying it isn't dangerous but another saying it is.

1519 A Belfast taxi driver was asked on Thursday by a group of businessmen to drive them to London's Heathrow airport. The 400-mile trip cost the businessmen £650 but they left him a £50 tip.

1513 BaseOneGiff tweets: At least, amidst all the chaos, we can safely say that the ashes have come home. Read BaseOneGiff's tweets

1508 The Norfolkline ferry service between Dover and Dunkirk said it is allowing walk-on passengers who will be accommodated on Eurolines coaches for the Channel crossing. The firm still has capacity for car passengers and a limited number of foot passengers today on its 1600 and 1800 sailings to Dunkirk, and on the 2000 and 2200 crossings from Dunkirk to Dover.

1500 Hungary is planning to close its airspace for 24 hours from 1700 GMT, the country's national transport authority says. The closure could be extended or shortened, depending on advice from the national meteorological service, the agency adds.

1459Paul Denton in Texas, USA says:

I live on the flight path to Dallas/Fort Worth airport. Instead of a flight every minute, I see one every 15 or 20 minutes. So the impact is even felt here in Texas.

1457 There is still ash being thrown into the sky from the erupting Icelandic volcano, says Joe Sultana from Eurocontrol. It is likely to move across Europe in a south-easterly direction he adds.

1456 Restrictions on flying in a large part of Scotland and Northern Ireland will be lifted from 1900 BST (1800 GMT) on Friday, Nats says.

1450 The UK's Air Traffic Control Service (Nats) says restrictions on all flights in and out of England and Wales will remain in place until at least 0700 BST (0600 GMT) Saturday.

1446 The BBC's Matthew Price at JFK airport in New York:

I know Delta cancelled about 65 of their flights yesterday, and American Airlines about 35.

I am estimating from the figures that I've seen that about half of those US carrier flights have been cancelled. Certainly, the departure and arrival boards at Terminal Four here, which Virgin fly into and out of, show cancellations.

There is a flight scheduled to come in from Dublin, so some transatlantic crossings are making it, but the majority of them are shut down.

1439 Eurocontrol's Brian Flynn warns of significant disruption again on Saturday.

1434 Eurocontrol, Europe's air traffic agency, holds a press conference in Brussels. Deputy Head Brian Flynn says passenger movements across Europe dropped by 50% on Friday.

1421 BBC correspondent Hugh Schofield in Paris:

All flights out of Charles de Gaulle, Orly and all airports north of Paris are grounded until 2000 local time (1800GMT) on Friday. Staff at Charles de Gaulle say the closure is likely to continue overnight, he adds. Airspace south of Paris remains open.

1415xoLauraF tweets:

Iceland need to get themselves a giant cork and fix this volcano business. I had plans for tomorrow! Read xoLauraF's tweets

1413 UK taxi company Addison Lee reports receiving requests for journeys to destinations as far away as Paris, Milan, Amsterdam, Zurich and Salzburg.

1408 Danish airspace will remain closed until 0800 local time (0600GMT) on Saturday, says Danish Navair aviation authority.

1406 Finland announces the grounding of all commercial flights until 1500 local time (1200GMT) on Sunday.

1400 Only one of three planes without passengers due to have taken off from Manchester Airport during a one-hour window were able to take off. The departing plane is due to return stranded passengers from overseas.

1354

The impact of the airspace closure could cost the UK economy more than £100m a day, says BBC business correspondent John Moylan.

1344Paul Taylor, in Hersham, Surrey says:

In 1989 we were flying on a brand new KLM 747 to Tokyo via Alaska when we flew into a volcanic cloud over Anchorage. All four engines stopped and we fell around 10,000 feet before the pilot got one engine working and another just before an emergency landing. Having been through that, I can see why Nats are not taking any chances.

1337 Brian Flynn, of pan-European air traffic controllers Eurocontrol, said the latest forecasts were "showing there's still extensive volcanic ash present up to two o'clock tomorrow morning, and considering the behaviour of it up to now, and the light winds that there are in Europe, at the moment it would not be expected to dissipate quickly".

1328Emma, of London, writes:

I am stranded at Doha airport after a 14-and-a-half-hour flight from Melbourne. We have been here for eight hours and have been told that we aren't a priority by Qatar Airways and that there are 500 people getting hotel beds before us, let alone a flight to the UK. Looks like we could be here for a while.

1324 UK Transport Secretary Lord Adonis predicts that "significant disruption to most UK air services will continue for at least the next 48 hours".

He added: "My advice to passengers is to contact their airlines. All EU carriers and any airlines operating out of EU airports are obliged to offer passengers either a refund or a re-route, which can include travel by other means, where available." The Civil Aviation Authority was closely monitoring whether those obligations were being met, the minister said.

1317Fiona Atay in Worcestershire says:

We are stranded in Istanbul. At present the only "definite" flights we are entitled to will be on Wednesday 21st - if planes are back in the air and flying to UK.

We are lucky as we have an apartment to which we have returned; I have no idea what happened to the two full plane-loads of UK Stansted travellers who were turned back just from Istanbul's lesser airport, Sabiya Gokcen!

1311 johl tweets:

Just like Bjork, volcano ash is a typically Icelandic export: awesome at first, but gets boring rather quickly. Read johl's tweets

1306 The UK's air traffic control service, Nats, to announce the status of Saturday's scheduled flights at about 1430BST.

1301 P&O Ferries, which operates routes between the UK and mainland Europe, says it is unable to accept any further foot passenger bookings before Monday "as a result of the unprecedented surge in demand due to the airline crisis".

1300 Melvin Wilson in Tenerife says:

We were meant to fly back from Tenerife tonight, but they are turning people away from the airport. There is no one to talk to and all the phone lines we ring just tell us to try later and hang up. No one seems bothered at the moment about people stuck elsewhere, just those not able to leave the UK.

We have had no provision made to us by the airline since we cannot get into the airport and have had to book a hotel. Our airline website says rebook, but the next flight is NEXT Friday. If alternate provision will be made midweek we have no idea, we are totally cut out of the information loop.

1258 A rescue helicopter has been flown through clouds of volcano ash to help a woman on Shetland in a "life or death" situation. The woman is receiving hospital treatment in Lerwick after being transported by the Shetland Coastguard helicopter crew.

1256Jonny H in Singapore says:

Just had my flight to Heathrow cancelled and been told it could be 10 days before I get on another one! Wonder if volcanic ash cloud counts as a mitigating circumstance for Uni.

1254 A British atmospheric research team has gathered speed and direction data from the edge of the volcanic ash plume. A specially-adapted small plane was used to collect readings on Thursday, after taking off from Gloucestershire Airport at Staverton.

1251 The family of the late Polish President Lech Kaczynski want the funeral to go ahead as planned on Sunday, even if global leaders are unable to attend because of the travel disruption, Polish presidential aide Jacek Sasin says.

1229 BBC correspondent Hugh Schofield, at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris:

"Eerie silence in the skies of course, but strangely busy in the airport - the message clearly hasn't got out to everyone that the airport is shut, that airspace is closed. There are people turning up still in, it seems, quite large numbers.

"There is a long queue at the Air France desk - a lot of people apparently coming because they have been calling up Air France, the numbers are completely engaged, they don't know what's happening. So they have actually come out to get information from the desks here.

"Others, of course, who arrived yesterday found it shut and have stayed ever since. But some people still arriving, hoping for flights that just aren't going to happen."

1213 British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking to BBC Sussex radio, apologised for the inconvenience caused by the closure of UK airspace.

"I think it is partly to be absolutely sure about people's safety," he said. "We are looking at it virtually every hour to make sure we get the best meteorological advice, and give passengers the best advice."

1204 More information about the three flights due to depart from Manchester Airport between 1200 and 1300 BST: The first is a Thomson flight to Barbados, followed by two Thomas Cook departures to Vancouver in Canada, and Cancun in Mexico. The planes are departing empty because there is no time to load passengers in the hour available, but they are due to bring back stranded holidaymakers.

1200 Retinus Roux in Reykjavik tells the BBC geologists are now testing the ash from the volcano. Too much flourite in the ash could be dangerous to livestock and there are concerns the ash could cause problems for people with respiratory diseases, he says.

"We have great concern for the farmers around the mountain and the people in the villages nearby (Hvolsvöllur and Vík), both because of the danger from the ash and flooding."

1157 Airline Manx2.com is operating up to seven flights from Blackpool to the Isle of Man, on to Belfast then back. The small 19-seat propeller-driven aircraft fly at a lower level than jets.

1156 A team of UK scientists is preparing to send a plane to take readings around the edge of the volcanic ash plume. The findings of the Natural Environment Research Council's Airborne Research & Survey Facility, based in Wiltshire, will help guide Met Office forecasts and advice to airports.

1155 Three planes are due to take off from Manchester Airport, without passengers, during a one-hour window to move aircraft.

1143 twmercer tweets: Honestly. If you can't look after your volcano you shouldn't be allowed to keep one. Read twmercer's tweets

1141 Dr Matthew Roberts, a glaciologist at the Icelandic Met Office, has flown over the volcano responsible for the ash cloud.

There's a lag effect between material being emitted from the volcano and the ash plume drifting into European airspace Dr Matthew Roberts Icelandic Met Office

"The situation as it stands this morning is that the eruption continues. It seems to be quite stable. There haven't been any further significant outbursts of volcanic ash from the eruption site," he said.

"However, as you know, there is still volcanic ash in the atmosphere and there's a lag effect between material being emitted from the volcano and the ash plume drifting into European airspace. So, the material that's in the sky at the moment was ejected on 14 April and currently there isn't any new material leaving the eruption site."

1138 Malcolm McDade in Reading says:

My daughters are stuck in Mumbai and Kingfisher Airlines have told them it could be May before they get back to the UK.

1133BBC Scotland correspondent Colin Blane, at Glasgow Airport:

He said there had been two arrivals and one departure from the airport on Friday morning.

"For a little while, just for a few minutes, this place began to feel like an airport should. There were holidaymakers coming back with their sunglasses still on. There were kids wearing the clothes that they had had on the beach, still with their suntans. It felt like an airport should, but it is by no means back to normal."

He added that one of the arriving flights had been diverted from its destination at Gatwick, meaning passengers still faced a nine-hour bus journey.

1128 pjesi tweets: Sorry Europe for the flight delays while we recharge our thermal energy batteries. Read pjesi's tweets

1127 Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond tells the BBC there is an "improving situation" over Scotland and he is hopeful that Scottish airspace will open later. He says internal flights - to the islands - are now moving, and hopes transatlantic flights will also be able to operate later.

Mr Salmond said Glasgow and Prestwick airports may also be able to receive flights diverted from landing in other parts of the country.

1105 Cornwall Air Ambulance says it has grounded its helicopter as a precaution, because damage to the vehicle would put the service out of action for a longer period of time. Meanwhile, flights to and from the Isles of Scilly are unaffected because they are carried out at 1,500ft - below controlled airspace.

1101 Poland's Krakow airport has been closed to regular flights. It is due to receive most of the world leaders flying in to attend the funeral of Polish President Lech Kaczynski on Sunday. A presidential official has said delaying the funeral is a "last resort".

1056 Bob Atkinson, of UK price-comparison website Moneysupermarket.com, calls the reaction of travel insurers to the flights disruption "extremely disappointing".

Insurers must not use their small print to try and wriggle out of this one Bob Atkinson Moneysupermarket.com

"I have spoken to several main providers this morning and, over 24 hours into this incident, the majority still haven't developed a position on how they will handle any claims for cancelled and delayed flights and any other monetary losses."

He added: "This is exactly the type of event that customers buy insurance for and they should be able to claim for the cost of their lost holidays and costs that they incur. Insurers must not use their small print to try and wriggle out of this one."

1033 The Duchess of Cornwall is unable to fly from Scotland and cancels a visit to a Polish cultural centre in London, where she had been due to sign a book of condolence for the late President Lech Kaczynski.

1032 Laumb tweets:I have ash from the Icelandic volcano on my car. And I live in Norway! Sick! Read Laumb's tweets

1023 The Port of Dover says ferry operators made arrangements during the night to take additional foot passengers, after being inundated with enquiries from travellers unable to make journeys by air. "Our contingency plans were swiftly implemented in order to provide the best service we can to them," said port boss Bob Goldfield.

1019 Paris Charles de Gaulle airport will remain closed until at least 1800 GMT, the AFP news agency reports.

1016 Paul from Oberwil, Switzerland, says:

Never mind international hen parties and baby showers, I'm supposed to be flying from Switzerland to support Sheffield Wednesday against Sheffield United at the weekend - they need me, it's not looking good.

1014 Manchester Airport says 950 flights in and out of the airport will be disrupted during the current flights restriction up to 0100BST on Saturday (2400GMT). It says this will affect in the region of 150,000 passengers.

1012 Shares in major European airlines have fallen as thousands of flights are grounded across the continent. British Airways shares are down almost 1% in the first hour of trading.

1009 Carly Mitchell, of Powys, has spent most of the last 24 hours at Manchester airport. She told the BBC News website: "We got to the airport at 6am on Thursday and haven't really been told what's been going on since then. We're due to fly to Dalaman, in Turkey, but we keep getting told different things. Yesterday we were told it would be a few days until we could go, then we were told to come back this morning.

"We stayed in a hotel last night but have been mainly at the airport. It's very frustrating."

1008 Leeds Bradford Airport says it is working closely with airlines to plan extra services once UK airspace opens. All flights from the airport on Friday are cancelled. More than 4,000 passengers on more than 50 flights are affected.

1007 Alex from Geneva, Switzerland, says:

Am supposed to be flying to Luton tomorrow so I can start back at uni on Monday. Doesn't look like I will be handing my essays in on time.

1005 The number of Eurostar services sold out between London and Paris and Brussels is revised to 58. A spokeswoman says they are carrying more than 46,000 people and all the trains are full.

0956 Ferry firms in Wales say they are benefiting from disruption to flights out of Cardiff. Both Stena and Fastnet Line have reported a significant increase in bookings for ferries to Ireland.

0954 Allan from Croydon says:

We are in Sydney, due to fly back to Heathrow via Kuala Lumpur Saturday morning. Calls just go unanswered despite being a valued customer! So many questions and no-one to ask!!

0952 Brian Golding, Met Office head of forecasting, says it it is hard to say how long flights could be affected by the problem.

"At the moment, the ash over the UK isn't going anywhere very fast and so there is a problem," he told BBC News. "But as it gets older, that existing old ash will become less of a threat. But if new ash comes down from Iceland over the next day or two then the threat will be renewed."

0951 Allan Stevenson from Edinburgh says:

Four of us were due to fly home from Amsterdam this morning at 1030. Can't see any flights taking off soon. We have just booked onto tomorrow's ferry to Newcastle and a taxi from there home to Edinburgh!

0948 Eurostar reports its 48 services between London and Paris and Brussels on Friday are sold out. "We are carrying more than 38,000 people today and all our trains are full," a spokeswoman said.

"We are telling potential customers without bookings not to come to St Pancras because they will not be able to travel." She added: "We expect to be very busy over the weekend as well."

0947 Polish presidential official Jacek Sasin says delaying Sunday's funeral for President Lech Kaczynski would be a "last resort" and there are no such talks on the issue. Earlier, he said a delay was possible. All but two of Poland's airports are closed.

0938 Debbie Eidsforth, 36, was stranded overnight at Heathrow Airport awaiting a flight to Australia:

It doesn't matter what class you fly in, everyone's in the same situation. I just slept here on the seats, and there were quite a few other people dotted around. They should really have brought blankets and coffee around for us. At the end of the day, this is nobody's fault but it's very frustrating when there's no communication.

0936 Despite a small number of flights being permitted into and out of Northern Ireland and western Scotland, Nats says that the only flights running out of Northern Ireland are a limited number to the Isle of Man.

0930 PeterHoffer tweets: Sorry Iceland, your volcano is costing you valuable votes for Eurovision. Read PeterHoffer's tweets

0927 Pamela Bowy, at Paris's Roissy airport, tells the BBC:

"We came from Johannesburg yesterday morning at 6 o'clock in the morning and we have been here since then. We are trying to get back, our first flight at the moment is Monday morning, back to Birmingham. We are with our family - there is six of us, we are trying to see if we can get a train."

0923 andywhittle tweets: Advice on the radio this morning concerning the Icelandic volcano: Breathe less. Read andywhittle's tweets

0921 The Czech air authority says it has closed the airspace in the north of the country and is expected to halt flights at Prague airport from 1000 GMT. The country's entire airspace could close from 1100 GMT, it warns.

0918 Russia's Emergencies Ministry says the volcanic ash cloud poses no danger to Russia and its population, Itar-Tass reports.

0913 Jack, in London, says: I was supposed to be flying to Prague today to make a surprise visit to the girl I love, to tell her I love her. Many things have prevented me from doing this in the past (pride, faintheartedness, lack of opportunity) but a volcanic eruption... You couldn't make it up.

0908 Kalinda from Singapore says:

About 2,000 passengers travelling to Germany, France, the UK, and the Netherlands are stranded here in Singapore. They are unable to accommodate anyone here due to "the critical hotel situation in Singapore" and therefore passengers have had to sleep in the terminals with just a few thin blankets. They are offering food, and we are now just "being patient until further information is received". There are some very frustrated people here!

0907 Jules in Stockholm says:

The Swedish national rugby team got grounded and had a mad rush to get the ferry to Latvia for an international game. Mad! Five British-based players, including the captain, are stranded in London.

0904 OdaRygh tweets: Mmm... I love the smell of sulphur in the morning! Read OdaRygh's tweets

0857 The first plane to leave UK airspace since its closure on Friday left Glasgow airport at 0755BST, the airport has announced. The Air Transat service is bound for Toronto.

But airport managing director Amanda McMillan says the departure is not a sign that things are getting back to normal, with the cost to the industry running at millions of pounds.

0856 A Polish official says delaying Sunday's funeral for President Lech Kaczynski and his wife is a "serious alternative" if Polish airspace remains closed. US President Barack Obama and dozens of other world leaders are due to fly in for the funeral in Krakow.

0850 UK Met Office update advises that "dust and smells have been detected in the Northern Isles" from the Iceland volcano eruption. It is liaising with Health Protection Scotland and the Health Protection Agency in England. Dust has been collected at Lerwick and is currently being analysed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Met Office says.

0844 Ashaiscool tweets: For the record, no Milan for me this weekend... work and life and a volcano ensured that :)
Read ashaiscool's tweets

0843 Jurgen Brieger from Milton Keynes says

: I am due to fly to Tenerife from Birmingham on Tuesday. Whilst I am pretty optimistic about the airport being open again by then, I am concerned what the knock-on effect for airlines will be.

0842 European air traffic disruption will last at least another 24 hours, European aviation control agency Eurocontrol says. In a statement, it says it expects some 11,000 flights in European airspace on Friday compared with 28,000 normally.

0838 Denmark expects to keep its airspace closed until at least midnight GMT Saturday, Navair aviation authority says.

0834 Austrian airspace will be closed from late afternoon, Reuters news agency reports.

0833 Norway's airport authority says it has resumed limited flights from Trondheim in the northern part of the country.

0830 Nats advises that restrictions preventing flights in English-controlled airspace will remain in place until 0100BST on Saturday.

The Nats statement continued: "Flights in Northern Ireland and the Western Isles of Scotland to and from Glasgow and Prestwick will continue to be allowed until 1900BST ubject to individual co-ordination. North Atlantic traffic to and from Glasgow, Prestwick and Belfast may also be allowed in this period.

"From 1900BST, forecasts indicate that Scottish airspace may be able to accept domestic flights within Scotland and Northern/Southern Ireland, and North Atlantic flights to/from airports in Scotland and Northern Ireland."

Nats said it would review Met Office information and give a further statement at 1330BST.

0822 Lithuania shuts its airspace, AFP reports.

0820 Thousands of flights across much of Europe remain cancelled for a second day.

The UK's Air Traffic Control Service (Nats) is due to make a statement at 0830.