The Boeing 747 jumbo jet -- with chief executive Willie Walsh on board -- flew for nearly three hours from London Heathrow Airport out over the Atlantic Ocean before returning to Cardiff.

"The conditions were perfect and the aircraft encountered no difficulties. It will now undergo a full technical analysis at BA's engineering base at Cardiff," the spokesman said.

"Initially it ascended to 10,000 feet (3,000 metres), then increased altitude in stages of 5,000 feet, remaining for five minutes at each level before reaching 40,000 feet," a spokesman said.

"The aircraft stayed at 40,000 feet for an hour. Returning east, it descended across Ireland from 19,000 to 15,000 feet, landing at Cardiff."

Besides the two pilots and Walsh, BA's director of flight operations and engineering general manager were also on board.

The British flag carrier was among a handful of European airlines which sent up aircraft on test flights.

The flight was "to collect data on the presence of ash in UK airspace," a BA spokeswoman told AFP.

After landing in the Welsh capital, the jet taxied to the airline's maintenance facilities to undergo examination while data gathered during the flight was scrutinised.

The results of tests during the flight would be looked at further on Monday before any firm conclusion was drawn, a BA spokesman said.

The aircraft took off at 5:58 pm (1658 GMT) and landed at 8:41pm (1941 GMT).

Earlier, BA announced it has cancelled all inbound and outbound London flights scheduled for Monday, due to the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland.

"Following further information from the Met Office about the path of the volcanic ash affecting UK airspace and airlines, there will continue to be severe disruption to our schedule," BA said in a brief statement.

"All British Airways flights to and from London airports are cancelled on Sunday 18 and Monday 19 April."

earlier related report
Britain working on Spanish hub for stranded nationals
London (AFP) April 18, 2010 - London and Madrid are working on ideas to fly Britons stranded by the volcanic ash cloud to a Spanish hub and then sailing them back home, officials said.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Spanish counterpart Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero held telephone talks after top British ministers and scientists met to discuss the crisis at Downing Street, Brown's office said.

The premiers reached a deal to allow flights bound for Britain from outside Europe to land in Spain, Spanish radio reported. British airspace is closed until 1800 GMT Monday at the earliest.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "They agreed that the UK and Spain would work together to look at how the capacity in Spain which remains open to flights can be used to help get British people stranded abroad back to the UK.

"Prime Minister Zapatero said that he would help in any way he can."

Following their meeting, British ministers said everything was being done to try to help stranded nationals. Travel association ABTA said roughly 150,000 people had not been able to return home due to the airspace closure.

Options include the possibility of deploying Royal Navy vessels to collect passengers, said security minister Alan West, a former head of the navy.

"As far as the Royal Navy goes obviously we are finding exactly what ships are available, what would be able to move, what's the best port to go to," he said.

Peter Mandelson, Brown's de facto deputy, added: "We need to look at every single logistical option for getting our people back home."

Spanish public radio RNE, citing government sources, said the deal would allow passengers bound for Britain from Asia, Latin America and North America to fly to Spain and from there travel either overland or by ferry.

Spain stepped in because some Spanish airports are not affected by the ash cloud from Iceland.

"Spain is offering the use of some Spanish airports as a intercontinental platform," Spanish Transport Minister Jose Blanco told reporters.

But much of the rest of Europe remained a virtual no-fly zone on Sunday, with about 30 countries closing or restricting airspace amid safety fears over the sulfurous dust coming from an Icelandic volcano.

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