Planes back in air after volcanic ash flight ban

THINGS are hopefully getting back to normal, and people are finally returning home, after planes were given permission to fly through volcanic ash.

Planes touched down on British soil for the first time in six days early this morning (Wednesday) after a decision was taken to reopen the country’s airspace following the volcanic ash cloud that had settled over much of Northern Europe in the wake of a volcano erupting in Iceland.

Test flights showed that it was safe for planes to fly through the ash from the Eyjafjallaj�kull volcano in Southern Iceland, amid fears the dust could clog aircraft engines.

It means thousands of holidaymakers, including hundreds from Times Territory, could soon be heading home after being left stranded for days without a clear indication of when they would be returning.

Many students and teachers were absent for the first day of the new term this week, after taking a break during the Easter holidays only to be told their flights had been cancelled.

Among the worst effected schools in Times Territory were two from Brookmans Park - Chancellor’s and Queenswood - which each had 90 students missing on the first day back.

For more on the disruptions caused by the volcanic ash cloud, see this week’s Welwyn Hatfield Times, out today.