Travel chaos due to an ash plume from an active Icelandic volcano may stretch on for days, with Qantas estimating flights to Europe and the UK will be halted until Sunday.
The disruptions to global air traffic stem from a 10 kilomtre-high plume of ash that has closed airspace in Europe and America – the biggest such disruption since the 2001 September 11 attacks.
Qantas has scrapped flights to London and Frankfurt, and hundreds of passengers are stranded in airports in Asia waiting for connecting flights that have been cancelled.
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Asian hotels 'booked out'
Spokesman for the Australian airline, David Epstein, has told the ABC passengers should not attempt to fly to Europe via Asia, as hotels in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok in particular have been entirely booked out.
Mr Epstein has directed concerned passengers to the Qantas website, asking them only to go to airports if they have been contacted by the carrier.
"People travelling with us in the next few days, don't go to the airport until you have confirmed with us.
'Backlog'
"It is going to take some time [to] work through the backlog of flights coming in from Europe."
Mr Epstein says the carrier is familiar with how to deal with natural disasters such as this one.
"Qantas does have some experience in dealing with volcanic activities. Our meteorological people pay a lot attention to volcanic activity," he said.
The volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier has been spewing ash for the last few days.
Volcanic ash can be harmful to plane engines, possibly causing them to lose power during a flight.
Number of carriers affected
International flights from Australia by a number of carriers, including Qantas, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Etihad Airways and Finnair have been affected.
Sydney Airport spokesman Michael Samaras says each airline is organising its own response until the situation improves, but all have been able to keep most of their passengers up-to-date.
Australians stranded overseas needing consular assistance can contact the nearest Australian diplomatic mission or the consular emergency centre on +61 2 6261 3305.
Families in Australia can call 1300 555 135.
