A restriction on flights in and out of the UK has been extended until at least 1pm Sunday due to the volcano ash cloud drifting from Iceland.

Forecasters said there is no sign that a change in wind direction will clear British airspace of the cloud of ash.

The National Air Traffic Service said airlines would continue to be subject to restrictions for as long as ash billows into UK airspace.

And Britain’s air travel nightmare shows no signs of ending as meteorologists said the wind could keep the ash cloud over Europe for up to five days.

The ash will continue to be directed towards Britain and Scandinavia, according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office.

Meanwhile, test flights at lower altitude than usual are taking place in the Netherlands and other European countries to assess the impact of volcanic ash on planes.

More than a million Britons are stranded abroad as they wait for the cloud to pass.

But Sky’s Michelle May at Manchester airport said even if flights do get under way this weekend it will be a long time before travel is back to normal.

“Once it does all reopen, it’s going to be up to two weeks before major airports are functioning properly,” she said.

“All the crews and planes are in the wrong places because they haven’t been able to get where they need to be.”

Scientists in Hvolsvollur are trying to monitor what is going on inside the volcano.

Sky’s Greg Milam, who is close to the volcano, said they are trying to get an idea of whether the intensity is lessening.

“What they will be hoping is that the wind might at some point change direction and strength and bring some respite to Europe,” he said.

“This sort of eruption could go on for days, weeks, maybe months.

“As long as this continues to happen and the ash continues to be thrown up with such intensity it is very difficult for anyone to predict what will happen next.

“The big fear here is that the nearby sister volcano Katla could erupt.

“It is much bigger, the flooding would be worse and the ash cloud would also be much worse.”

A light dusting of ash has settled in parts of Scotland and in the Thames Valley area, but the Health Protection Agency says any minor symptoms are likely to be temporary.

Three samples of the dust have been tested at Aberdeen, Lerwick and East Kilbride by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).

Professor James Curran, director of science and strategy at Sepa, said there was no evidence that the ash contains radioactive materials “of any significance”.

The cloud is causing huge financial losses for the airline industry across Europe.

Neil Morris, from Deloitte’s aviation team, said: “We estimate that the cost to British and Irish scheduled airlines from the closure of British airspace is likely to be between £26m and £28m per day.

British Airways, Thomson, Ryanair and BMI have cancelled the majority of their flights until at least Monday morning.

Ireland has also closed its airspace until at least 1pm Sunday.

UK airports are mostly deserted but small numbers of passengers unaware of the blanket ban turned up to find empty check-in desks and no flights.

Travellers at Edinburgh airport told Sky’s Rona Dougall they are frustrated by not knowing when the situation might improve.

Channel Tunnel high-speed train company Eurostar has put on extra services to Paris and Brussels but they are sold out, and thousands of people have headed for ferries to reach the Continent.

Taxi firms have also reported requests for journeys from London to Rome and beyond, and actor John Cleese paid more than £3000 to get from Oslo to Brussels in a cab.

Airspace across central and northern Europe has largely remained closed, with two thirds of Europe’s flights cancelled yesterday.

Eurocontrol, the European air navigation safety agency, said around 5,000 flights were expected to take place on Saturday compared to 22,000 in normal circumstances.

Germany shut down all of its international airports, Paris and 23 further French airports will remain closed until further notice as well as those in northern Italy, including Milan and Venice.

Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Slovakia, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and much of Switzerland, Norway, Bosnia and Montenegro closed their airspace.

Many world leaders and dignitaries including Prince Charles were due to attend the funeral of the Polish president Lech Kaczynski on Sunday but have now cancelled because of the closure of Polish airspace.

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