Three Royal Navy ships will be drafted to help return Britons stranded abroad as UK airspace remains restricted.
The move was announced after the UK's emergency committee Cobra met to discuss options in addressing travel chaos caused by a volcanic ash cloud.
The ships HMS Ark Royal, HMS Ocean and HMS Albion are heading for Spain and unspecified Channel ports.
On Monday morning, flight restrictions were extended by air traffic control service Nats to 0100 BST Tuesday.
Planes were first grounded in the UK at midday on Thursday amid fears particles in the ash cloud from Eyjafjallajoekull could cause engines to shut down.
Travel agents' association Abta said its "rough estimate" was that 150,000 Britons are currently stranded abroad, and rail and ferry services have been stretched to the limit by passengers seeking other means to return.
'Human consequences'
Following the Cobra meeting, the prime minister outlined discussions he had held with Spanish premier Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero about the use of airports in Spain, which retain a limited service as they are at the edge of the ash cloud.
HMS Ark Royal
HMS Ark Royal will be used to help bring Britons home
Stranded Britons: Rescue plan
"I talked to Prime Minister Zapatero and he has offered in principle the use of Spanish airports as a hub to bring people back to Britain," he said.
"We are now looking (at) transport arrangements that we will support as a government - coach, ferry and train - to get people either from Madrid or another Spanish airport back to Britain."
He added that the Navy ships would soon be deployed towards Channel ports for the effort.
"I believe this is one of the most serious transport disruptions we have faced," Mr Brown said.
"It's got financial consequences as well as human consequences and we will do everything in our power to make sure all the arrangements are in place to help people where possible to get back home."
HMS Albion was deployed to Spain to return 220 members of the 3 Rifles battalion to the UK, as they remain stranded on their way back from Afghanistan.
On Sunday, 300 of the 3 Rifles battalion returned to the UK via coach and ferry.
HMS Albion is due to arrive in Santander, in northern Spain, on Tuesday morning and may also carry civilians on its return.
MAJOR EU AIRPORTS 0800 19/04
Heathrow - closed
Frankfurt - closed after reopening on a limited basis for several hours on Sunday
Paris Charles de Gaulle - closed
Schipol, Amsterdam - closed
Rome - limited service
Madrid - limited service
Shadow transport secretary Therese Villiers said: "It is good news for Britons trying to get home that the government are now looking to make use of the Royal Navy... People stranded abroad need to know all that can be done to help them is being done and this is a first step".
Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Norman Baker said the length of time British passengers faced being stranded for needed to be "urgently assessed".
In other developments:
* Europe's biggest travel operator TUI Travel, which owns Thomson and First Choice, says the disruption caused by the volcanic ash has cost the group about £20m so far
* Radio 1 breakfast show presenter Chris Moyles misses his show after being grounded in New York
* Bodies representing most European airlines and airports call for an urgent review of the flight restrictions being imposed
* Teachers' union NASUWT has urges schools not to penalise teachers who fail to return after the Easter holiday because of flight suspensions
* Norfolkline, which runs a cross-channel ferry service between Dover and Dunkirk, is providing coaches on its ferries to enable foot passengers to travel and from the UK on Monday
* Stranded travellers are using social media to organise inventive ways to return home
Clouded economics
EU transport ministers are also expected to hold emergency talks by video conference on how to ease the chaos caused by the volcanic ash cloud that has paralysed air travel across Europe.
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The talks come as airports and airlines have called for flight restrictions - said to be costing airlines $200m (£130m) a day - to be reviewed.
British commercial pilots' union Balpa said the industry will need the same of kind of government rescue following the eruption as some banks have had, with a number of airlines "staring bankruptcy in the face".
Tim Jeans, managing director of the airline Monarch, said that "clearly you cannot sell a ticket for somebody from say Alicante to London for £60 and pick up a £2,000 bill".
"No business could stand that and the UK airline industry is no different."
Airports Council International (ACI) Europe and the Association of European Airlines (AEA) have questioned the proportionality of the flight restrictions currently imposed.
ACI's director general Oliver Jankovek said safety was an "absolute priority" but it was important to distinguish whether there was a "genuine risk".
However, Eurocontrol, the organisation in charge of air safety in Europe, has denied aviation authorities are being over-cautious.
I was due back at university today. Some are jeopardising their degrees by missing dissertation deadlines and important exams. We have been emailing our lecturers to inform them of our situation
Alice Pegrum
Stranded in China
Live text: Volcano ash as it happens
A number of airlines, including BA, have said they have carried out test flights within restricted zones with no obvious damage to aircraft.
Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said: "In light of the test results we're getting from flights in Britain and similar test flights that have been taking place in Europe, discussions are taking place between the safety authorities and the manufacturers, to see whether there can be any updating of the safety regime for operating planes."
Meanwhile, Dr Guy Gratton, head of the Facility of Airborne Atmospheric Measurement, a joint body belonging to the Met Office and the Natural Environment Research Council, said that "it's still quite a complex mixture of clear air and very worrying - but invisible -volcanic ash at all sorts of heights".
Anyone concerned about the safety of a British national stranded abroad can call a Foreign Office helpline on 020 7008 0000, or visit its website at www.fco.gov.uk.
Stranded Britons should contact their local embassy, high commission or consulate.
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