Air passengers stranded in Dublin

Thousands of intending passengers have been left stranded in Dublin airport after flights were cancelled due to the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland.

By mid-morning, long queues had formed at the Ryanair and Aer Lingus ticket desks in  the airport as beleaguered passengers attempted to rebook on later flights or secure alternative travel arrangements.

Both airlines are offering passengers affected by the disruption the option of rebooking tickets on the next available flight or a full refund via their websites.

The knock-on effect of the today's disruption meant flights on the busier routes over the next few days were booking out fast.

Gill Buckley from Loughlinstown, Co Dublin was queueing to rebook tickets to London while her 90-year-old mother waited in the cafe upstairs.

The two are due to attend a special event in London on Saturday but were worried they would be unable to get a flight as most were already full. "I don't know what well do if we can't get something tomorrow, maybe we'll try the ferries but I hear they're booking up fast," Ms Buckley said.

Paul Keeshan and Barbara Caballero, who travelled from Limerick this morning to get to flight to Madrid for a week's holiday, been told there were no available flights with Ryanair until Saturday. "Our holiday plans are in disarray. We'll probably have to cancel everything and just go home," Ms Caballero said.

Students Eirne Connolly, Lisa McCartney and Samantha Sheehan travelled from Cork this morning to catch a flight to Valencia in Spain to start a 15-week trip as part of their college course. The next available flight was also on Sunday and they were checking to see if they could return to Cork and fly to Alicante tomorrow.

A Dublin Airport Authority official said while people were "clearly exasperated by the situation, most were pretty good-natured about it as there was nothing anybody could do".