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Checks are being carried out on a British Airways jet at its engineering base in the Vale of Glamorgan after a test flight to Cardiff Airport.The BA 747 was taken from Heathrow to Cardiff via the Atlantic to see if it could safely fly through the ash cloud from the Icelandic volcano.
A BA spokesman said the aircraft encountered no difficulties.
Meanwhile, Cardiff Airport is to remain shut until at least 1900 BST on Monday because of the ash.
Flights in the UK and across Europe have been grounded after an Icelandic volcano erupted last Wednesday.
The BA test flight took off from London Heathrow Airport at 1755 BST on Sunday before flying 550 miles over the Atlantic Ocean and returning to Cardiff airport two and three-quarter hours later.
BA's chief executive Willie Walsh was on board along with the director of flight operations and the general manager of engineering.
The plane is undergoing a full technical analysis at BA's engineering base in Cardiff.
Results of the checks are not expected until later in the day.
Priorities
A Cardiff International Airport spokesman said managers there would be meeting airline and tourism chiefs to draw up plans for when flights started again.
One of the issues will be deciding on priorities, as to whether to concentrate on repatriating stranded passengers or carry on normal schedules.
The spokesman said airlines did not have many extra planes available.
Passengers on package holidays would be looked after by tour operators, effectively extending their holidays, but independent travellers would have more of a problem, he added.
Ferry operators in Wales have seen significant increases in passenger numbers since the National Air Traffic Service (Nats) halted all flights in the UK.
Rail operators have added extra capacity to services to Holyhead in Anglesey and Fishguard in Pembrokeshire.
The Foreign Office website (www.fco.gov.uk) contains advice for stranded UK citizens.
UK citizens needing consular assistance can also contact the embassy in the country they are in; contact details are available on the Foreign Office website.
And an emergency number - 020 7008 0000 - is available for relatives of those stranded who are concerned about their safety or well-being.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
A BA spokesman said the aircraft encountered no difficulties.
Meanwhile, Cardiff Airport is to remain shut until at least 1900 BST on Monday because of the ash.
Flights in the UK and across Europe have been grounded after an Icelandic volcano erupted last Wednesday.
The BA test flight took off from London Heathrow Airport at 1755 BST on Sunday before flying 550 miles over the Atlantic Ocean and returning to Cardiff airport two and three-quarter hours later.
BA's chief executive Willie Walsh was on board along with the director of flight operations and the general manager of engineering.
The plane is undergoing a full technical analysis at BA's engineering base in Cardiff. Results of the checks are not expected until later in the day.
Priorities
A Cardiff International Airport spokesman said managers there would be meeting airline and tourism chiefs to draw up plans for when flights started again.
One of the issues will be deciding on priorities, as to whether to concentrate on repatriating stranded passengers or carry on normal schedules.
The spokesman said airlines did not have many extra planes available.
Passengers on package holidays would be looked after by tour operators, effectively extending their holidays, but independent travellers would have more of a problem, he added.
Ferry operators in Wales have seen significant increases in passenger numbers since the National Air Traffic Service (Nats) halted all flights in the UK.
Rail operators have added extra capacity to services to Holyhead in Anglesey and Fishguard in Pembrokeshire.
The Foreign Office website (www.fco.gov.uk) contains advice for stranded UK citizens.
UK citizens needing consular assistance can also contact the embassy in the country they are in; contact details are available on the Foreign Office website.
And an emergency number - 020 7008 0000 - is available for relatives of those stranded who are concerned about their safety or well-being.This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.