Team on a wing and a prayer

But for the Kenyan sevens team, a few bumps at 30,000 feet were enough to leave them quaking in their boots.

Players sat in silent terror, while others prayed for survival, as their flight to Edinburgh on Monday was buffeted by the gale force winds that brought chaos to the Capital.

The conditions were so violent that the British Airways pilot couldn't land the plane and was forced to divert to Manchester. Hours later, the flight took off again for Glasgow but it took three heart-stopping attempts to touch down, leaving passengers, including the New Zealand sevens side, breathing a collective sigh of relief.

Kenyan forward Brian Nyikuli, whose team were travelling to the Capital for the final leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series at Murrayfield, said he'd never been so frightened during a flight. "It was really scary and I just thank God that we all arrived safely," he said.

"We were flying from Heathrow but could not land in Edinburgh because of the wind so we had to go to Manchester.

"We were there for about an hour-and-a-half before we learned Edinburgh was being reopened. We took off again but flew to Glasgow and tried to land about three times - it was a crazy experience."

Volcanic ash and wind speeds of up to 80mph disrupted several flights around Edinburgh on Monday.

"I have never experienced turbulence like it in my life and I have been flying for years," said Mr Nyikuli.

"There were so many free falls, you didn't know what was going to happen next.

"When I looked around at my teammates many of them were bent over praying.

"It was a tense journey but thankfully all of us are fine."

Many of the Kenyan players updated their Facebook statuses with divine thanks following the flight.

Winger Collins Injera reportedly wrote: "This was the most terrifying flight I have ever boarded. Thank you Lord for getting us safe to Edinburgh."

His team-mate Oscar Ouma described it as a near-death experience.

A spokesman for Scottish Rugby, said: "Clearly the weather and the delayed arrivals have disrupted the training schedules, however, we will ensure that all teams are on Scottish soil as soon as possible to allow them the best opportunity to prepare."

Business as usual at airport

EDINBURGH airport chiefs say it's business as usual today following days of disruption from volcanic ash and high winds.

Passengers are asked to remain vigilant however. A spokesman said: "The ash cloud continues to cause disruption in other parts of Europe, therefore passengers are advised to check with their airlines before travelling to the airport.

"We returned to a fuller program (yesterday], with only a small number of flights disrupted."