Guardian wrote:Three Royal Navy ships are on their way to help repatriate up to 200,000 Britons stranded by five days of flight restrictions following the Icelandic volcano eruption.

The aircraft carrier Ark Royal and the assault ships Ocean and Albion have been deployed to help increase cross-Channel options as the no-flight ban across Britain was extended until 1am tomorrow.

Extra capacity is being provided on coaches, ferries and Eurostar and Eurotunnel trains.

Gordon Brown said agreement could be reached within hours for Spain to act as a hub for travellers trying to get home from Africa, Asia and northern and southern Africa. Madrid and other airports are expected to be used.

Speaking after a meeting of the UK emergency committee Cobra in Downing Street, the prime minister said safety remained "of paramount concern".

He said ministers would look at financial help for airlines and associated companies hit by the flight restrictions placed across much of Europe.

"We are very conscious this is unexpected and unique," said Brown, who praised the "spirit and resilience( of the British people".

"I believe this is one of the most serious transport disruptions we have faced. It's got financial consequences as well as human consequences and we will do everything in our power to make sure all the arrangements are in place to help people where possible to get back home."

The disruption was "a European-wide problem" that would need a European-wide solution, Brown said, and money from the European solidarity fund could hopefully be used to help travellers and airlines.

British Airways has said the disruption is costing the company up to £20m a day, while TUI Travel, the company behind Thomson and First Choice, said it was losing up to £6m daily. Ocean, a 20,000-tonne assault vessel and helicopter carrier, has been sent up the Channel from Devonport. Albion is on the way to Santander, Spain, to pick up troops returning from Afghanistan via Cyprus and is expected to help civilians too. Ark Royal, whose own Harrier jets have been hit by flight restrictions, has been sent south from the north of Scotland.

The Foreign Office has said it will not discuss about Spain's role until decisions have been made and plans put in place.

UK air traffic controllers this morning dashed any hopes of aircraft finding a window today in the volcanic ash cloud drifting from Iceland. The international airlines body Iata described the European response to the emergency as an "embarrassment and mess".

A number of airlines, including British Airways, ran test flights without passengers in Europe over the weekend, with more planned today. They have reported no "irregularities".

Lord Adonis, the transport secretary, said the rule that planes could not fly through ash was under review.

"The problem we face is that this is a highly dynamic situation and we have to assess the forecasts there are, " he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "The current rule we have, which flows from the manufacturers' own guidance, is any ash, don't fly."

Asked if the rule could be amended, he said: "It is possible, but this depends upon discussions which are currently taking place as we speak. This depends on discussions with manufacturers."

Adonis's colleagues said he was in "hourly contact" with airlines and in regular touch with European counterparts who would hold a videoconference today to review data from the test flights.

"There is a proper risk and safety regime," he said. "The issue is whether it is appropriate in current circumstances in the light of the findings of the test flights and the observational data."

He stressed that for those stranded abroad, European Union airlines were responsible for providing food and accommodation.

The Conservative leader, David Cameron, said: "I think it is right to get the Royal Navy involved. Theresa Villiers, my transport spokeswoman, suggested it and I am delighted the government have taken up the suggestion.

"The pre-eminent thing is passenger safety and I think they are right to carry out test flights and to be very careful before lifting the embargo on planes being able to fly. This is obviously a very difficult time, huge disruption for families, many people with children who need to get back to schools, families desperate to get home."


Iata's director general, Giovanni Bisignani, said in an official statement: "We are far enough into this crisis to express our dissatisfaction on how governments have managed it – with no risk assessment, no consultation, no co-ordination and no leadership. This crisis is costing airlines at least $200m a day in lost revenues and the European economy is suffering billions of dollars in lost business.

"In the face of such dire economic consequences it is incredible that Europe's transport ministers have taken five days to organise a teleconference."

Iata criticised the fact that airspace was being closed based on theoretical modelling of the ash cloud. "This means that governments have not taken their responsibility to make clear decisions based on facts," Bisignani said. "Instead it has been the air navigation service providers who announced that they would not provide service. And these decisions have been taken without adequately consulting the airlines. This is not an acceptable system particularly when the consequences for safety and the economy are so large."

Bisignani said airlines would not fly if it was unsafe but they had reported missed opportunities to fly safely. "The European system results in blanket closures of airspace. I challenge governments to agree on ways to flexibly reopen airspace. Risk assessments should be able to help us reopen certain corridors, if not entire airspaces."

The UK National Air Traffic Service (Nats) has extended the no-flight ban across Britain until at least 1am tomorrow, saying the movement of the ash cloud remains "dynamic".

Eurocontrol, the intergovernmental air safety body covering 38 European countries, said it expected up to 9,000 flights to take place today instead of the 28,000 on a normal Monday. However, the number flying includes countries as far east as Turkey and Armenia that are well outside the ash cloud's reach

Flashman wrote:It's a pity we're only sending three. It would be hilarious if we didn't actually tell spain and they woke up to this tomorrow morning...

Marshal2Crusaders wrote:Why the hell are 200,000 Britons stuck in Spain? What are they doing there? 200,000 is a gak ton of people.

SilverMK2 wrote:.. despite the fact that the plan was apparently proposed by the Tories according to the article quoted at the top of this page

n0t_u wrote:They need to be wearing the red coats though, for the added nostalgia points.

Flashman wrote:It's a pity we're only sending three. It would be hilarious if we didn't actually tell spain and they woke up to this tomorrow morning...

Frazzled wrote:You will need a really big banner that says
"Armada II, this time its Our Turn!"