Airline Manx2 hopes to resume UK flights

In this image made available by the Icelandic Coastguard, Wednesday April 14, 2010, smoke and steam rises from the volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland, which erupted for the second time in less than a month, melting ice, shooting smoke and steam into the air and forcing hundreds of people to flee rising floodwaters.

The eruption is the second in Iceland in less than a month

The Isle of Man airline Manx2 will be running a shuttle service between the island and Blackpool Airport as soon as airspace reopens, it has announced.

All non-emergency flights to and from the UK were suspended on Thursday after ash from a volcano eruption in Iceland drifted across the country.

The Air Traffic Control Service (Nats) imposed the restriction because of the danger to aircraft.

The restrictions will be imposed until at least 1300 BST on Friday.

Manx2 said that providing the Isle of Man's airspace reopens and UK airspace is open to receive flights, is it planning to operate flights from the island to Blackpool and Belfast.

Chairman Noel Hayes said: "All Manx2 passengers booked to any other destinations today or tomorrow [Thursday or Friday] will be able to transfer on to these services free of charge and all remaining seats will be available for purchase on our website.

"If, due to weather changes or other issues, the planned shuttle service does not operate, all tickets are changeable to another day at no additional cost."