Flybe plane at Manston

by Martin Jefferies

Passengers hoping to fly between Manston and Edinburgh today have been grounded by the volcanic ash cloud.

Flybe cancelled its 12.35pm service to Edinburgh and the 10.30am flight in the opposite direction, as ash from Iceland's most active volcano drifts across Scotland and northern England.

It comes just two days before the airline is due to launch its new Manston-Belfast route.

Passengers whose flights have been cancelled would be able to claim a refund or rebook for travel within the next 14 days at no extra cost, the airline said.

Meanwhile, Eurostar said it was "monitoring developments carefully".

@kent_online not really, this eruption has given off 10x more ash but i have no travel plans. if it hits the gulf stream then i'll worry! reply retweet favoritebrizzly via less than a minute agotedenby_21
andreas tatt

Manston's chief executive Charles Buchanan said: "We're not anticipating this going on for weeks or even days.

"The advice that is being given is that the situation this time is very different from the one last year.

"The work that has been done over the last twelve months has determined that the thresholds in which aircraft are able to fly without risk are much higher this year than they were last year.

"We will look after passengers that come to the airport, whose flights are not operating, making sure they are kept up to date with information and that they are helped with their onward journey and alternative travel arrangements."

kent pair stuck in scotland

mother and daughter julia and louise hitchcock, from halling, got stranded at edinburgh airport after their flight home was cancelled.

louise, 28, said: "all the flights are cancelled up to about 7pm or 8pm.

"now, it’s a case of now, do we risk it and possibly sleep on an airport floor or do we try and get on a train that will cost about £200?

"my mum’s got work, she’s basically one of the only people in her company who can do her job.

"luckily i’ve finished my main exams but i’ve got to start prepping for another major part of my course and i don’t have any of the stuff with me."

During last year's volcanic eruption, the company helped around 100,000 stranded Britons return from holidays in continental Europe by putting on more than 60 extra trains.

Leigh Calder, a spokesman for Eurostar, said: "At the moment, the news seems reasonably positive.

"There is some disruption in Scotland but the ash doesn't seem to be affecting the rest of European airspace.

"However, if there was severe disruption to UK airspace, we would look to run additional services and do everything possible to assist passengers."

The Grímsvötn volcano in south-east Iceland began erupting on Saturday, sending plumes of thick smoke 12 miles into the air.

Experts believe the eruption is not likely to lead to the level of disruption caused by the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010, since the ash particles are heavier and have fallen to the ground more quickly.

However, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the ash could affect parts of the UK and Ireland throughout the week.

Chief executive Andrew Haines said: "Our number one priority is to ensure the safety of people both onboard aircraft and on the ground.

"We can't rule out disruption but the new arrangements that have been put in place since last year's ash cloud mean we're better prepared to reduce any disruption."

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised passengers to check with their airline before travelling to airports, while the UK's emergency response committee, Cobra, is due to meet at 3.30pm this afternoon.

Have your travel plans been affected or are likely to be affected? Post your comment in the box below or e-mailmultimediadesk@thekmgroup.co.uk.