Spain - whose airspace remains open - could become a hub for British travellers after restrictions on flights across the UK were extended until at least 7pm today. Stranded Britons abroad could be flown into Spain and then transferred home by boat, road and rail, it has emerged. The plan - discussed by Gordon Brown and Spanish PM Jose Zapatero - is one of a series of options for Brits unable to get home by plane.

A No 10 spokeswoman said Mr Brown and Mr Zapatero discussed how Spain could be used as a hub for British travellers.

"What we are looking at doing is flying people from further afield into Spain and using alternative means to transport them from Spain," she said.

"They agreed that the UK and Spain would work together to look at how the capacity in Spain which remains open to flights can be used to help get British people stranded abroad back to the UK."

She said it was too early to say if additional flights would be added to Spain-bound schedules if the plan went ahead.

The Government has also indicated that the Royal Navy could be used to ferry passengers back to Britain.

Meanwhile UK airline Monarch said it was arranging a rescue flight to operate between Palma in Majorca and the Spanish capital Madrid at 8am. The airline will be using an Airbus A320 aircraft with 174 seats and will have coaches waiting at Madrid to get passengers back to the UK via Calais. Monarch passengers that have been stranded in Majorca the longest have been contacted directly by mobile phone messages.

The UK remains a no-fly zone. British Airways says all flights to and from London airports on Monday 19 April have been cancelled. And Irish airline Ryanair has cancelled all flights to and from northern Europe until at least the middle of Wednesday. But European officials have said they hope half of flights would operate across the continent today.

The Foreign Office has launched a special advice line for callers in the UK who are concerned about the well-being of relatives stranded overseas. The number is 020 7008 0000.

Consular staff overseas are providing assistance including visiting airports and advising British nationals who have run out of funds. Its website (link) is also being updated regularly with information and advice about passengers' rights and the responsibilities of travel companies.

Around 150,000 Britons have not been able to return to the UK because of the restrictions on flights, travel association Abta has said.

Airport operator BAA has asked passengers not to travel to its airports until further notice and to keep in touch with their carriers.

Thousands of Brits have already managed to make the journey back home via ferry and Eurostar, with both increasing capacity over the weekend.

A spokeswoman for the P&O ferry company said they had carried 11,000 foot passengers across the Channel on Friday and Saturday.

"At Dover, we do 32 round-trips a day and we have pulled in staff to increase passenger capacity, but we have no extra ships," she said. The company still has limited space on ferries today.

Eurostar passengers have been urged to book online rather than turn up at rail stations. It ran an extra 10 trains at the weekend, and was planning to run six more than normal today. Between last Thursday and tonight, an estimated 50,000 people travelled by Eurostar, up 30% on normal passenger numbers.

Source: Sky News Online

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Day Five: Volcano Chaos - Spain & UK To Work Together
Monday, 19 April 2010
Spain - whose airspace remains open - could become a hub for British travellers after restrictions on flights across the UK were extended until...

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