The first Europe-bound flight left Bahrain yesterday after six days of ash-induced travel chaos across the continent.

British Airways (BA) flight 124 took off from Bahrain International Airport en route to London Heathrow at 2.30pm, but was forced to detour to Brussels, Belgium.

Uncertainty surrounded the status of European airports throughout the day, but the British carrier was determined to leave Bahrain.

However, Gulf Air's planned flight to the UK, due to leave at around the same time, was delayed and eventually cancelled after British authorities announced that London's airports would remain closed at least until today.

Meanwhile, Lufthansa and KLM's flights to Frankfurt and Amsterdam respectively were expected to depart on schedule early this morning.

Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa yesterday ordered entry visas to be extended free of charge for passengers stranded due to the cancellation of flights to Europe.

The move follows His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa's instructions to provide all help to the stranded passengers. -Trade Arabia News Service