Britain will deploy Royal Navy ships to repatriate hundreds of thousands of travellers stranded abroad because of the flight ban over large parts of Europe, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Monday. HMS Ark Royal, HMS Ocean and HMS Albion would be made available for the relief effort. He confirmed that Spanish airports would be used as a hub to bring passengers back to Britain.
HMS Albion would be sent to Spain to pick up British troops stranded there on their return journey from Afghanistan. Ferry and train services across thee Channel Tunnel would also be increased, said Brown. Brown made the announcement after a meeting of the emergency planning committee (Cobra).
He defended the continuing flight ban saying the safety of air passengers was "paramount" when dealling with crisis caused by the volcanic ash cloud. Airlines and air traffic associations have criticised the blanket ban on air travel now in force for the fifth day across large parts of Europe.
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