Worldwide chaos as airlines struggle to maintain services

Cancellations and diversions choked airports around the world after US air space was closed in the wake of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

British Airways suspended flights to Tel Aviv and Islamabad, the airline said today, as air travellers faced chaos in the wake of yesterday's terrorist attacks in the US.

All US airports remain closed, bringing a halt to all UK–US flights.

The British Government also announced that passenger planes will not fly over central London – a measure which will add to flight times and increase delays. All private flights were halted except where specifically authorised.

BA said it had cancelled all of its schedule services between the UK, the US and Canada today as well as suspending flights to the Israeli and Pakistani cities.

"During the course of the day, British Airways will continue to assess the resumption of its services to and from North America," the airline added.

Dozens of US–bound flights operated by British carriers were in the air yesterday when the devastating events caused a shutdown of all US airports.

Airlines such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic were able to get some of their planes to land in Canada or other airports.

But many had to turn round and return to the UK.

Meanwhile, those passengers waiting to depart from the UK for the US were resigned to a long wait before getting away.

Passengers left stranded at Heathrow recognised their travel problems paled into insignificance when compared with the terrible news coming out of the US.

Laureen Kartsoonis, who had been due to return home to Boston last night with her family after a 12–day holiday in Greece, said: "We know we are here for the night, but it's irrelevant after hearing the news of the disasters back home.

"Our inconvenience is nothing and we'll spend here as long as we have to."

Airlines issued phone numbers for passengers whose flights to the US have been cancelled, or whose flights to other destinations could be delayed.

American Airlines advised British passengers to contact the company on 08457 789 789.

Continental Airlines said all their passengers should call 0800 776 464 before going to the airport.

The number for British Airways passengers was 08457 799 977.The shut down – ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration – forced the cancellation of countless flights, leaving passengers stranded or diverted to airports hundreds of miles from their intended destinations.

At Heathrow last night, armed police patrolled airline desks belonging to American and United Airlines.

"Today's events will cast a 20–year shadow over international civil aviation," Phil Butterworth–Hayes, civil aviation editor of the Jane's publishing group in Britain.

"It will be a bigger shadow than the one cast by the Lockerbie crash and the restrictions on civil aviation will be immense," he said, referring to the Pam Am jumbo jet bombing that killed 270 people in 1988.Hong Kong's international airport, one of Asia's busiest hubs, canceled all US–bound flights. The airport authority's website showed that at least six United flights, one Continental flight and two Air Canada flights were canceled.

China and Taiwan also canceled all commercial flights to the United States. Tokyo's Narita International Airport said a combined 170 flights – both arrivals and departures – were expected to be canceled.

The runway of Mexico City's international airport was clogged late Tuesday as it received about 40 diverted flights – mainly planes from South America bound for Houston, Miami and Los Angeles.

More than 100 international flights were rerouted to Canada on Tuesday, said FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown. Others went to Bermuda.

Trans–Atlantic commercial flights were not expected to resume until at least Wednesday afternoon, a European air safety official said.

Security was tightened at airports worldwide as authorities feared further hijackings and terrorist attacks would follow Tuesday's atrocities at the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

"We have a very, very high level of security to begin with anyway, but we have heightened security," said Chris Donnolley, a spokesman for Hong Kong's airport authority. He declined further details.

In the Cayman Islands, the Owen Roberts Airport was evacuated after suspicious baggage was left beside the American Airlines check–in desk. The airport was reopened after authorities determined the bag only contained a computer and a scanner.

In South Korea, television footage showed helmeted security forces on patrol at Incheon international airport.

Israel closed its air space to foreign carriers for at least 24 hours.

Britain and Belgium banned commercial flights over their capitals of London and Brussels.

"No flights will take off from the U.K. for which we cannot apply the highest standards of security for aircrew and passengers. Private flights have been stopped except where specifically authorized," British Prime Minister Tony Blair said.

"Flight paths into London have been changed so there will be no civil flights over central London."

Commercial airlines were unlikely to restart trans–Atlantic flights until Wednesday afternoon, according to the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, or Eurocontrol.

"My guess is that it will take 24 hours," said Gerard Stadler, a director of Eurocontrol, which is based in Brussels and has 30 European member states.

Stadler would not say how many aircraft were turned around on Tuesday afternoon. He did, however, note that there are about 500 westbound Atlantic crossings per day, with each flight carrying about 400 passengers.

Out of nine flights diverted to Bermuda, three had returned to Europe, airport officials in the British Atlantic territory said. Hundreds of passengers were being accommodated at nearby hotels.

A Narita spokesman said that 13 flights bound for the United States from Tokyo were ordered to turn back on Tuesday.

Italian airport authorities canceled flights to the Middle East and recalled flights to the United States in the wake of the attacks. The national carrier, Alitalia, said it was canceling Wednesday's flights from Milan's Malpensa airport to the United States, Canada and the Middle East, the ANSA news agency said.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines NV said Tuesday it had canceled flights to and from the United States, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi.

About 20 flights in total have been canceled, stranding 5,000 people at Schiphol international airport outside Amsterdam. 3,500 of them were not Dutch and would be put up in hotels, the airline said.

A Swissair flight carrying Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides, bound from Zurich to New York for United Nations talks on the reunification of Cyprus, turned back over the Atlantic Ocean after being denied permission to land, Cypriot radio reported.

The flight returned to Europe, according to the report, which didn't specify an airport.