Airlines press for compensation as Europe's skies reopen
As Europe's airspace reopened and weary passengers boarded long-delayed flights home, airline executives pressed for government compensation to cover the industry's massive losses.
Eurocontrol, Europe's air safety authority, said they expected air traffic to be "almost 100 percent" on Thursday, estimating that 75 percent of the 28,000 flights normally scheduled Wednesday had flown.
All Europe's main air hubs were up and running Wednesday and experts in Iceland said the Eyjafjjoell volcano had lost most of its intensity.
But a week after a volcanic eruption in Iceland caused the worst disruption to aviation since World War II, airline bosses were counting their losses -- and wanted to know who would foot the bill.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) put the overall cost to the airline industry at 1.7 billion dollars (1.3 billion euros): at its peak, said IATA, the crisis was costing 400 million dollars a day.
"For an industry that lost 9.4 billion dollars last year and was forecast to lose a further 2.8 billion dollars in 2010, this crisis is devastating," said IATA chief Giovanni Bisignani in Berlin.
-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Europe flight misery to drag on
Millions of stranded travellers face further air chaos as the volcanic ash from Iceland that has closed most of Europe's airspace continues to spread.
An estimated three-quarters of flights were cancelled on Saturday. About 20 countries closed their airspace - some have extended flight bans into Monday.
Disruption is now said to be greater than that after 9/11 and the volcanic activity shows no sign of abating.
Two air lines have carried out test flights to see if it is safe to fly.
The Netherlands' KLM said one of its planes, a Boeing 737, had reached its maximum operating altitude of about 13km in the skies over the Netherlands, and there had been no problems during the flight.
The aircraft and its engines were being inspected for possible damage. After the results of that technical inspection the airline hopes to get permission from the aviation authorities to start up operations again.
Germany's Lufthansa said it had flown several planes to Frankfurt from Munich.
"All airplanes have been inspected on arrival in Frankfurt but there was no damage to the cockpit windows or fuselage and no impact on the engines," a spokesman said.
Britain has extended a ban on most flights in its airspace until at least 1800 GMT Sunday, air authorities have said.
A spokesman for the international airline industry said: "We don't see the light at the end of the tunnel yet."
-News courtesy of BBC-
An estimated three-quarters of flights were cancelled on Saturday. About 20 countries closed their airspace - some have extended flight bans into Monday.
Disruption is now said to be greater than that after 9/11 and the volcanic activity shows no sign of abating.
Two air lines have carried out test flights to see if it is safe to fly.
The Netherlands' KLM said one of its planes, a Boeing 737, had reached its maximum operating altitude of about 13km in the skies over the Netherlands, and there had been no problems during the flight.
The aircraft and its engines were being inspected for possible damage. After the results of that technical inspection the airline hopes to get permission from the aviation authorities to start up operations again.
Germany's Lufthansa said it had flown several planes to Frankfurt from Munich.
"All airplanes have been inspected on arrival in Frankfurt but there was no damage to the cockpit windows or fuselage and no impact on the engines," a spokesman said.
Britain has extended a ban on most flights in its airspace until at least 1800 GMT Sunday, air authorities have said.
A spokesman for the international airline industry said: "We don't see the light at the end of the tunnel yet."
-News courtesy of BBC-
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Cancellations of flights from S'pore to Europe
Thousands of travellers are affected by cancellations of flights from Singapore to Europe due to ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland.
So far, 21 flights on British Air, Air France, KLM and Singapore Airlines have been cancelled.
As the huge cloud of volcanic ash spreads over half of Europe on Friday, thousands of flights were cancelled, in the biggest airspace shutdown since World War Two.
In Singapore, passengers spent the night at the airport, unable to fly as flight disruptions to places like France and the United Kingdom spread to other airports worldwide.
To ease traffic at the airport, authorities and airlines are trying to get accommodation for the passengers, but they said there is a shortage of hotel rooms in Singapore right now.
And quite a few travellers are at a loss at what to do.
One said: "It's an absolute nightmare. Nobody tells you anything. They said they were going to come down and tell us within the hour, and nobody came down to tell us anything until the next day."
"Very tired. We want to go back home," another said.
"Yeah, it's been very inconvenient, very difficult. While most are frustrated with the situation, others are taking it in their stride," a third added.
Another traveller said: "They're providing us with food and water and drinks and blankets. Obviously the floor's hard, (but) we got through the night."
The travellers are tired and unhappy as they are being told repeatedly that it is not known whether the flights will be cancelled yet again. In fact, some passengers got a little aggressive earlier on, as they confronted the counter staff. But this did not improve the situation and all that was left for them to do is to wait.
Meanwhile, the various airlines said they are monitoring the situation closely.
Nicholas Ionides, vice-president of Public Affairs, Singapore Airlines, said: "The situation now is that we don't know when those airports will be reopened, those airports that are closed.
"So we're in very close contact with authorities in those areas, and we're trying to find out, as soon as we can, when those airports will be opened.
"As soon as we are aware of what the situation is going to be, we're going to be mounting flights wherever we can, and accommodating those customers who have been affected by the cancellations that have been taking place so far.
Channel NewsAsia understands that SIA is paying about S$200 per family per night to help defray part of the additional expenses its passengers will incur.
Changi Airport Group has been working with the airlines and airport partners to minimise inconvenience to affected passengers. It has mobilised resources and activated its contingency plans to assist those affected. For example, areas have been set up at Changi Airport's transit areas for passengers remaining at the airport to take a rest and their meals.
A number of passengers have been accommodated in hotels at the airport and downtown, while others have decided to return home. For example, a passenger who travelled from Sydney to Singapore for an onward flight to London, may have chosen to return to Sydney.
For passengers remaining in the airport, they have been provided with blankets, sleeping bags, phone cards to call home and free use of the airport's shower facilities. More than 300 also took up the offer of a free tour of the city.
Airlines have informed passengers whose flights have been cancelled not to proceed to the airport. Passengers are also checking with their airlines on the status of their flights They are advised to check with their airlines on the latest updates before going to the airport.
-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-
So far, 21 flights on British Air, Air France, KLM and Singapore Airlines have been cancelled.
As the huge cloud of volcanic ash spreads over half of Europe on Friday, thousands of flights were cancelled, in the biggest airspace shutdown since World War Two.
In Singapore, passengers spent the night at the airport, unable to fly as flight disruptions to places like France and the United Kingdom spread to other airports worldwide.
To ease traffic at the airport, authorities and airlines are trying to get accommodation for the passengers, but they said there is a shortage of hotel rooms in Singapore right now.
And quite a few travellers are at a loss at what to do.
One said: "It's an absolute nightmare. Nobody tells you anything. They said they were going to come down and tell us within the hour, and nobody came down to tell us anything until the next day."
"Very tired. We want to go back home," another said.
"Yeah, it's been very inconvenient, very difficult. While most are frustrated with the situation, others are taking it in their stride," a third added.
Another traveller said: "They're providing us with food and water and drinks and blankets. Obviously the floor's hard, (but) we got through the night."
The travellers are tired and unhappy as they are being told repeatedly that it is not known whether the flights will be cancelled yet again. In fact, some passengers got a little aggressive earlier on, as they confronted the counter staff. But this did not improve the situation and all that was left for them to do is to wait.
Meanwhile, the various airlines said they are monitoring the situation closely.
Nicholas Ionides, vice-president of Public Affairs, Singapore Airlines, said: "The situation now is that we don't know when those airports will be reopened, those airports that are closed.
"So we're in very close contact with authorities in those areas, and we're trying to find out, as soon as we can, when those airports will be opened.
"As soon as we are aware of what the situation is going to be, we're going to be mounting flights wherever we can, and accommodating those customers who have been affected by the cancellations that have been taking place so far.
Channel NewsAsia understands that SIA is paying about S$200 per family per night to help defray part of the additional expenses its passengers will incur.
Changi Airport Group has been working with the airlines and airport partners to minimise inconvenience to affected passengers. It has mobilised resources and activated its contingency plans to assist those affected. For example, areas have been set up at Changi Airport's transit areas for passengers remaining at the airport to take a rest and their meals.
A number of passengers have been accommodated in hotels at the airport and downtown, while others have decided to return home. For example, a passenger who travelled from Sydney to Singapore for an onward flight to London, may have chosen to return to Sydney.
For passengers remaining in the airport, they have been provided with blankets, sleeping bags, phone cards to call home and free use of the airport's shower facilities. More than 300 also took up the offer of a free tour of the city.
Airlines have informed passengers whose flights have been cancelled not to proceed to the airport. Passengers are also checking with their airlines on the status of their flights They are advised to check with their airlines on the latest updates before going to the airport.
-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-
Ash cloud shuts Europe's skies
Millions of passengers were stranded on Friday after a huge cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland swept across Europe, grounding thousands of flights in the biggest air travel shutdown since World War II.
Europe's air traffic control centre said 16,000 flights were cancelled on Friday because of the "unprecedented" situation and more would follow, while one airline grounded all its planes in the affected area until Monday.
Holidaymakers, businessmen, celebrities and politicians alike were forced onto overcrowded trains, boats and taxis as aviation officials warned airplane engines could become clogged up and stop working if they flew through the ash.
The International Air Transport Association warned the fallout from the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southeast Iceland was costing airlines more than 200 million dollars (230 million euros) a day.
Smoke and ash continued to spew out of the volcano Friday, building up the cloud which then blew east to stretch from the Atlantic to the Russian capital Moscow and from the Arctic Circle to Bulgaria.
Europe's three biggest airports - London Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt - were closed by the ash, leaving passengers stranded across the world as a global flight backlog built up.
Eurocontrol, which coordinates air traffic control in 38 nations, said only 12,000 of the daily 28,000 flights in the affected zone would take off Friday, after about 6,000 were cancelled the day before.
Austria, Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland shut down all or most of their airspace.
Sweden, Norway, Lithuania and Ireland gradually reopened theirs, but France, Germany, Russia and Spain all experienced major disruption and Italian officials said they expected to be hit from Saturday.
Britain extended its flight ban until 7:00 am (0600 GMT) Saturday, but said some transatlantic flights would be allowed in Scotland and Northern Ireland from Friday night as the ash drifted away.
Eurocontrol said the ash was moving east and southeast and spokesman Joe Sultana warned of "significant disruption of air traffic tomorrow (Saturday)".
"It's a major and unprecedented problem in Europe," he said in Brussels.
Experts have warned it could take days for the ash to clear and budget airline Ryanair cancelled all its flights in northern Europe and the Baltics until 1200 GMT Monday.
The shutdown played havoc with diplomatic schedules.
Poland had considered delaying Sunday's funeral of President Lech Kaczynski because the cloud threatened the flights of US President Barack Obama and other world leaders, but a senior presidential aide insisted it would go ahead.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was stranded in Lisbon, Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva in Prague and a UN Security Council delegation cancelled a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo as they were due to fly through Paris.
Even US pop superstar Whitney Houston had to take a car ferry from Britain to Ireland for a concert in Dublin.
In Britain, airports including London Heathrow, the world's busiest international air hub, were deserted as operators warned travellers not even to turn up for booked flights.
The Eurostar Channel tunnel rail service reported thousands of passengers rushing to get places on its London-Paris trains. It laid on three extra trains but still could not keep up with demand.
Baltic ferries also reported a surge in demand.
As the disruption looked set to continue, many travellers prepared for another uncomfortable night in airports across Europe.
"I've been here since 9:00 am yesterday, it looks like we're going to spend another night here," Tolga Aydin, a young Canadian trying to get to Toronto, told AFP from his makeshift bed on a bench at London's Gatwick airport.
In Scotland, health officials warned that ash falling to the ground over northern Britain might cause symptoms such as itchy eyes or sore throats.
The volcano on the Eyjafjallajokull glacier erupted on Wednesday night, sending ash drifting towards Europe at an altitude of about eight to 10 kilometres.
In the past 20 years, there have been 80 recorded encounters between aircraft and volcanic clouds, causing the near-loss of two Boeing 747s with almost 500 people on board and damage to 20 other planes, experts said.
Finnish fighter jets which flew through the volcanic dust on training flights on Thursday suffered damaged engines, the air force said.
-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-
Europe's air traffic control centre said 16,000 flights were cancelled on Friday because of the "unprecedented" situation and more would follow, while one airline grounded all its planes in the affected area until Monday.
Holidaymakers, businessmen, celebrities and politicians alike were forced onto overcrowded trains, boats and taxis as aviation officials warned airplane engines could become clogged up and stop working if they flew through the ash.
The International Air Transport Association warned the fallout from the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southeast Iceland was costing airlines more than 200 million dollars (230 million euros) a day.
Smoke and ash continued to spew out of the volcano Friday, building up the cloud which then blew east to stretch from the Atlantic to the Russian capital Moscow and from the Arctic Circle to Bulgaria.
Europe's three biggest airports - London Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt - were closed by the ash, leaving passengers stranded across the world as a global flight backlog built up.
Eurocontrol, which coordinates air traffic control in 38 nations, said only 12,000 of the daily 28,000 flights in the affected zone would take off Friday, after about 6,000 were cancelled the day before.
Austria, Belgium, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Switzerland shut down all or most of their airspace.
Sweden, Norway, Lithuania and Ireland gradually reopened theirs, but France, Germany, Russia and Spain all experienced major disruption and Italian officials said they expected to be hit from Saturday.
Britain extended its flight ban until 7:00 am (0600 GMT) Saturday, but said some transatlantic flights would be allowed in Scotland and Northern Ireland from Friday night as the ash drifted away.
Eurocontrol said the ash was moving east and southeast and spokesman Joe Sultana warned of "significant disruption of air traffic tomorrow (Saturday)".
"It's a major and unprecedented problem in Europe," he said in Brussels.
Experts have warned it could take days for the ash to clear and budget airline Ryanair cancelled all its flights in northern Europe and the Baltics until 1200 GMT Monday.
The shutdown played havoc with diplomatic schedules.
Poland had considered delaying Sunday's funeral of President Lech Kaczynski because the cloud threatened the flights of US President Barack Obama and other world leaders, but a senior presidential aide insisted it would go ahead.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was stranded in Lisbon, Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva in Prague and a UN Security Council delegation cancelled a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo as they were due to fly through Paris.
Even US pop superstar Whitney Houston had to take a car ferry from Britain to Ireland for a concert in Dublin.
In Britain, airports including London Heathrow, the world's busiest international air hub, were deserted as operators warned travellers not even to turn up for booked flights.
The Eurostar Channel tunnel rail service reported thousands of passengers rushing to get places on its London-Paris trains. It laid on three extra trains but still could not keep up with demand.
Baltic ferries also reported a surge in demand.
As the disruption looked set to continue, many travellers prepared for another uncomfortable night in airports across Europe.
"I've been here since 9:00 am yesterday, it looks like we're going to spend another night here," Tolga Aydin, a young Canadian trying to get to Toronto, told AFP from his makeshift bed on a bench at London's Gatwick airport.
In Scotland, health officials warned that ash falling to the ground over northern Britain might cause symptoms such as itchy eyes or sore throats.
The volcano on the Eyjafjallajokull glacier erupted on Wednesday night, sending ash drifting towards Europe at an altitude of about eight to 10 kilometres.
In the past 20 years, there have been 80 recorded encounters between aircraft and volcanic clouds, causing the near-loss of two Boeing 747s with almost 500 people on board and damage to 20 other planes, experts said.
Finnish fighter jets which flew through the volcanic dust on training flights on Thursday suffered damaged engines, the air force said.
-News courtesy of Channel Newsasia-
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