Runway fixed ?

Bristol Airport managers hope flights will resume by 1000 GMT after tests on a runway at the centre of a safety row.

Ten airlines had cancelled or diverted flights after claims that aircraft had skidded on landing in wet conditions on a refurbished runway. A total of 385 flights and 25,000 passengers have been affected since the dispute began on Friday.

A spokesman for the airport said the 1037 flight from New York could be the first to be allowed to land.

The runway was closed overnight for work on runway drainage systems so flights could resume.

"We've had an army of contractors out on the runway over the last 12 hours putting grooves in to increase friction," said Tony Hallwood, Aviation Development Director at Bristol International Airport. "The runway was not unsafe, the CAA made it very clear that they were happy to continue operations and Bristol International has always said over the weekend that we'll never compromise passenger safety," he added.

Problems began on Friday after Easyjet raised concerns over the safety of the new £17m resurfaced runway.

It withdrew services amid fears planes were skidding when landing in wet weather, affecting braking distances.