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Update from 19th April: Flights from Scottish airports including Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh have begun and will continue until 7pm this evening.

The latest report from the National Air Traffic Control Service (Nats) confirmed flights would also be operating as far south as Newcastle, but restrictions remain further south below the height of the ash cloud at 20,000ft.

Some flights have taken off this morning from Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and overnight the CAA said it would permit aircraft movement in UK airspace above the ash cloud. However most airports in the UK report that they expect no flights to take off before 7pm this evening.

The most recent Nats statement, issued at 9am this morning, said the situation was likely to change throughout the day and a new statement will be issued at 3pm.
A new ash cloud moving south from the Icelandic volcano eruption is making it impossible to predict how long windows of opportunity for flying will remain open and when all UK airspace will be open.

In Europe, flights have taken off from airports including Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam and Frankfurt.

A British Airways test flight from Heathrow to Cardiff carried out yesterday found no damage to the aircraft or its engines. The airline said it had provided fresh evidence that blanket airspace restrictions are unnecessary and should be lifted.

KLM and the German airline Lufthansa have also carried out test flights in their countries’ airspace and said no damage had occurred.

EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said he hoped 50% of Europe's airspace would be risk-free today, and EU transport ministers will hold a video teleconference to assess the situation.

Giving a press conference outside Downing Street yesterday, prime minister Gordon Brown said the Royal Navy could be used to ferry passengers back to Britain.

The announcement came on the day that international airlines and pilots demanded a relaxation of the no-fly zone which has grounded most flights across northern Europe for the past five days.

Commercial flights were first grounded on Thursday as weather systems pushed the cloud of ash south from Iceland. Volcanic ash is a particular threat to aircraft engines and can cause them to stall.

Airline body Iata said on Friday that its conservative estimate was that the grounding would cost around $200 million per day in lost revenues, plus the additional costs of bringing services back into line once the restrictions are lifted.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has set up a helpline for those stranded overseas on 0207 008 0000.

source: www.travelweekly.co.uk