"I'VE been completely vindicated." These are the words of Bath Travel boss Stephen Bath following the decision to lift the ban on UK flights, allowing airlines to resume their operations yesterday.

Earlier in the week, Mr Bath, joint managing direc¬tor of Bath Travel, had attracted heavy criticism after comments he made describing the ban by air traffic control agency Nats as a "massive overreac¬tion."

And yesterday, as he met the first Palmair flight back from Lanzarote, he told the Daily Echo: "In 52 years of operating we have never had a plane come back six days late.

"This is by far the worst decision in the history of aviation worldwide.

"This has been the most expensive mistake in the history of flying. The cost of this will be more than the 9/11 groundings, which I completely understood and accepted. No-one would have wanted to fly then but this has been a farce.

"As soon as the dust set¬tles I would like to see the chief executive of Nats resign."

David Skillicorn, manag¬ing director of Palmair, said: "It's a massive relief to be able to get our passen¬gers moving again. And they have been so under¬standing and brilliant.

"But the real work gets underway now, getting everybody home again."

And holidaymakers, delighted to be home after an extra week abroad, could not praise the Bournemouth-based airline and travel company enough.

David Clare, along with wife Lucy, children, Henrietta, nine, James, 11, and grandmother Jenny Wiseman said: "We've been away for nearly three weeks but really couldn't have been treated any better.

"Unlike others who trav¬elled with other companies, we've been kept informed and up to date and haven't had to traipse to the airport every day for information."

And Tony Chilver, arriv¬ing back home with daugh¬ter Eva, three, and partner Rebecca Chivers, said: "You cannot fault the way staff have handled this. It's been very reassuring."

Palmair said it hoped to have everyone home by today with three extra air¬craft operating to repatriate passengers as soon as possible.