London Heathrow and London Gatwick are running reduced services this morning (Monday 17 May) after ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano returned to UK airspace at the weekend.

The UK’s two busiest airports partially opened at 0700 today after closing yesterday; severe disruption to flights in and out of the UK is expected to continue over the next 24 hours at least.

UK airports still closed include Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol, Farnborough and all airports in Northern Ireland.

Travel bosses, including Virgin Atlantic’s President Richard Branson, have complained about the airport closures.

The Civil Aviation Authority’s chief executive, Andrew Haines, said of this weekend’s flight suspensions: "It's the CAA's job to ensure the public is kept safe by ensuring safety decisions are based on scientific and engineering evidence; we will not listen to those who effectively say, 'Let's suck it and see'."