No commercial flights will be allowed in and out of English airports until at least 1am tomorrow morning (17 April) as volcanic ash from Iceland continues to drift across UK airspace.

The National Air Traffic Service (NATS) extended its restrictions on UK airspace, which was closed yesterday (15 April) as a result of a "significant safety threat" posed to planes. NATS has confirmed that flights in Northern Ireland and the Western Isles of Scotland to and from Glasgow and Prestwick airports will be able to continue until 7pm, while North Atlantic traffic may also use Belfast, Glasgow and Prestwick during the same period.

It is hoped Scottish airspace could start accepting domestic flights within Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as North Atlantic flights after 7pm. However, English airports are unlikely to be able to accept flights until the weekend, with NATS due to make another announcement at 2.30pm today (16 April).