Drifting ash from Iceland’s Grimsvoetn volcano caused air chaos, prompting British Airlines to cancel flights between London and Scotland.

Drifting ash from Iceland's Grimsvoetn volcano caused air chaos, prompting British Airlines to cancel flights between London and Scotland.

The eruption has raised concerns over a repeat of last year's travel chaos sparked by the eruption of another Icelandic volcano which led to the biggest shutdown of European airspace since World War II.

Forecasters said the volcanic cloud would reach Scotland and Northern Ireland early Tuesday, with much of the UK being covered by midday.
But as a string of carriers announced cancellations, the transport secretary, Philip Hammond, said Britons had "to learn to live" with chaos caused by volcanic activity.

"My understanding is that we have gone through an unusually quiet period for volcanic eruptions in Iceland over the last 20-odd years and we are moving into a period when there is likely to be significantly more volcanic activity," he told BBC2's Newsnight on Monday.
"So this is clearly something we have got to learn to plan around. We have got to learn to live with it."

US President Barack Obama left Ireland for Britain on Monday night, one day ahead of schedule because of fears that the ash cloud could affect travel on Tuesday. The Irish visit was the first stop on a six-day European tour.
The change to Obama's plans came shortly after a Scottish airline announced it was axing a handful of flights early Tuesday.