Ben KendallAll flights into and out of Norwich airport have been cancelled for the rest of the day.Ben Kendall

All flights into and out of Norwich airport have been cancelled for the rest of the day.

Norwich airport passengers have faced disruption following a volcanic eruption in Iceland.

Flights out of Norwich International Airport have been cancelled including Flybe services to Manchester, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Amsterdam. The air ambulance's two helicopters have also been ground as have flights out of RAF Marham, RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall.

It had been hoped flights later in the day would go ahead but now all flights, including some to offshore platforms, have been cancelled.

Airport duty manager Jane Ellis said: 'We are now working hard to contact those booked on later flights to let them know the situation.

'At this time of the year a lot of our passengers are travelling for business but Jersey is a popular destination for tourists and a lot of people travel to Amsterdam for onward transfers.

'We are waiting to see what the impact on later flights will be. We just have to keep our fingers crossed and hope the weather works in our favour.'

The 12.15pm Exeter flight has been cancelled as have flights to Edinburgh, Manchester, Jersey and Aberdeen. KLM's flights to Amsterdam have also been cancelled.

Some flights to gas platforms, which had not been affected previously, have also be grounded.

A Flybe spokesman said they have drafted in extra staff to help out in its call centre. He said: 'We have extended our opening hours to 10pm tonight.

'People will be able to get a refund for their cancelled flights or they will be able to re-book on the next available flight.'

Flights from both Stansted and Luton airports have also been cancelled. It is not yet known when flights will resume.

Airports across the country have been hit because the eruption has meant volcanic ash plumed into the air meaning it could prevent engines and electronics functioning properly.

Forecasters said they did not know how long the ash would take to disperse. Matt Dobson, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, said: 'The concern is that as well as the eruption, the jet stream passing through Iceland is passing in a south easterly direction, which will bring ash to the north of Scotland and Denmark and Norway. But it is impossible to say how much ash will come down.'

Passengers are advised to check www.norwichairport.co.uk for more information.

The helpline number for Flybe is 0871 700 2000.

t If you have encountered problems at Norwich airport this morning, contact us by emailing newsdesk@archant.co.uk