Major airlines are facing chaos as the Icelandic ash cloud closed in on Britain, threatening serious disruption to flights.
Travel plans were thrown into disarray for hundreds of passengers while even US president Barack Obama was forced to amend his itinerary, flying into London earlier than planned to avoid the dense plume drifting towards the UK.
Forecasters predicted the volcanic cloud, which billowed from Iceland's Grimsvotn volcano, would hit Scotland and Northern Ireland in the coming hours, with much of the country being covered by midday.
But as a string of carriers announced cancellations, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said Britons "have got to learn" to live with chaos caused by volcanic activity in Iceland.
"My understanding is that we have gone through an unusually quiet period for volcanic eruptions in Iceland over the last 20-odd years and we are moving into a period when there is likely to be significantly more volcanic activity," he said. "So this is clearly something we have got to learn to plan around. We have got to learn to live with it."
But he insisted there were now "much more robust systems" to "minimise the disruptive effect". Since last year's eruption, the authorities have gained a "much better understanding" of the risk from ash clouds and are able to assess the thickness of different patches as well as the possibility of flying over or below a cloud, he said.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), all British aircraft can fly in medium density ash, however, the Met Office charts show that the levels are higher than this below 35,000 feet, meaning planes could have to navigate routes around the plume. A CAA spokesman said the cloud, as it is now, could "potentially" cause serious disruption.
Responding to warnings, British Airways announced it would not operate any flights between London and Scotland before 2pm. Only last year, the airline's then chief executive Willie Walsh criticised airport closures and said blanket bans imposed on flying were "a gross over-reaction to a very minor risk".
Dutch airline KLM said 16 flights scheduled to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Newcastle would be cancelled. EasyJet has cancelled flights to and from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen operating between 5am and 9am, while Aer Lingus said it had cancelled 12 flights to and from Glasgow, Dublin, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Shannon and Cork.
Glasgow-based carrier Loganair - which operates most of its services within Scotland - said it had scrapped 36 flights due to depart between 6am and 1pm. Air traffic control company Nats advised passengers to check with their airline before travelling to Scottish aerodromes including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Perth, Dundee, Wick, Barra, Benbecula, Tiree, Cumbernauld and Stornoway.
Travel plans were thrown into disarray for hundreds of passengers while even US president Barack Obama was forced to amend his itinerary, flying into London earlier than planned to avoid the dense plume drifting towards the UK.
Forecasters predicted the volcanic cloud, which billowed from Iceland's Grimsvotn volcano, would hit Scotland and Northern Ireland in the coming hours, with much of the country being covered by midday.
But as a string of carriers announced cancellations, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said Britons "have got to learn" to live with chaos caused by volcanic activity in Iceland.
"My understanding is that we have gone through an unusually quiet period for volcanic eruptions in Iceland over the last 20-odd years and we are moving into a period when there is likely to be significantly more volcanic activity," he said. "So this is clearly something we have got to learn to plan around. We have got to learn to live with it."
But he insisted there were now "much more robust systems" to "minimise the disruptive effect". Since last year's eruption, the authorities have gained a "much better understanding" of the risk from ash clouds and are able to assess the thickness of different patches as well as the possibility of flying over or below a cloud, he said.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), all British aircraft can fly in medium density ash, however, the Met Office charts show that the levels are higher than this below 35,000 feet, meaning planes could have to navigate routes around the plume. A CAA spokesman said the cloud, as it is now, could "potentially" cause serious disruption.
Responding to warnings, British Airways announced it would not operate any flights between London and Scotland before 2pm. Only last year, the airline's then chief executive Willie Walsh criticised airport closures and said blanket bans imposed on flying were "a gross over-reaction to a very minor risk".
Dutch airline KLM said 16 flights scheduled to and from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Newcastle would be cancelled. EasyJet has cancelled flights to and from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen operating between 5am and 9am, while Aer Lingus said it had cancelled 12 flights to and from Glasgow, Dublin, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Shannon and Cork.
Glasgow-based carrier Loganair - which operates most of its services within Scotland - said it had scrapped 36 flights due to depart between 6am and 1pm. Air traffic control company Nats advised passengers to check with their airline before travelling to Scottish aerodromes including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Perth, Dundee, Wick, Barra, Benbecula, Tiree, Cumbernauld and Stornoway.
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