Travelers across Europe are breathing a huge sigh of relief as airspace across Europe reopens after almost a week of major disruptions to air traffic as a result of the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjalljökull volcano.
German aviation authorities reopened the country's airspace at 11 a.m. on Wednesday and Germany's 11 international airports resumed operations, with the rest planning to reopen by afternoon, a spokeswoman for German Flight Safety (DFS) said. "The cloud has moved," said DFS spokesman Axel Raab.
In the cities of Hamburg and Bremen in the north, the airspace had already been opened on Tuesday night, but normal operations had been delayed until Wednesday morning because of the normal ban on night flights in those areas. In the capital city of Berlin, flights resumed at Tegel and Schönefeld airports at 6 a.m. on Wednesday. Despite the reopening of airspace, though, only half the usual number of flights to and from Berlin's airports were expected. Officials said it would likely take two to three days before German airports had fully resumed normal operations.
German flag carrier Lufthansa said it expected to operate 500 flights on Wednesday, less than one-third of its usual 1,800. The company said international flights would be given priority. Meanwhile, Germany's second largest airline, Air Berlin, said it hoped to resume large-scale operations within the course of the day. By the end of the week the company wanted to be able to offer its complete schedule of flights.
On Tuesday, 256 jets took off or landed at Frankfurt Airport, Germany's largest. At the country's second biggest airport in Munich, operations resumed more slowly. A spokesperson said 223 flights had been handled on Tuesday, just 22 percent of its normal volume. Munich airport officials hope to significantly increase that number on Wednesday, but they said it would not reach the normal traffic of 1,200 flights.
Estimate: $1.7 Billion in Lost Revenues
The flight disruptions caused by the giant ash cloud emitted by Iceland's Eyjafjalljökull volcano last week has been particularly damaging for European airlines. The International Air Travel Association (IATA) estimates that the closure of European airspace since last Thursday has caused around $1.7 billion (€1.26 billion) in lost revenue. For the days between April 17-19 when most of European airspace was closed, the group is estimating damages of $400 million per day. An estimated 100,000 flights have been cancelled since Europe's airspace was largely closed last Thursday due to the danger of the ash. Normally 190,000 flights would have operated during the same time period, European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said.
Many had feared the disruptions would damage fragile European economies still recovering from 2009's global downturn. But German Economics Minister Rainer Brüderle of the business-friendly Free Democratic Party, which shares power with Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, said it wouldn't impact on Germany's recovery. With airlines resuming normal operations on Wednesday and later in the week, Brüderle said, the scope of economic damage would be limited. "I don't see any reason to fear an economic worst-case scenario".
Still, the suspension of flights has had an effect on German businesses, especially those that rely heavily on air cargo to deliver parts for production. Carmaker BMW halted production in a plant in the Bavarian town of Dingolfing because it ran out of electronic components, and a spokesperson said assembly lines would also be stopped at factories in Regensburg and Munich.
Most European Airspace Reopened
On Wednesday, flights began to resume all across Europe after the greatest disruption to global air travel since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Eurocontrol said it expected 21,000 flights to operate, compared to the 28,000 normally scheduled. Some restrictions were still in place in southern Sweden and Helsinki, but almost all of European airspace below 20,000 feet was open again.
British airports also experienced hurdles one day after the lifting of the flight ban. After being closed for six days, London's Heathrow Airport reopened on Wednesday, but most flights remained cancelled at Europe's most important hub. And the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) warned that it could take days before normal operations are restored because of a lack of airplanes and crew members in the places where they are most needed.
British Airways said it planned to resume all its scheduled longhaul flights from Heathrow and London Gatwick airports, but most shorter and mid-range flights were cancelled up until mid-day on Wednesday. And British budget airline Easyjet said it wanted to resume operations of "a few" flights in continental Europe and Britain.
In Norway, the first country to close its airspace last Thursday, officials reopened airports for flights. Finnish authorities also planned to reopen the Helsinki airport -- at least for part of the day. And French Transport Minister Jean-Louis Borloo said his country hoped to restore all longhaul flights and 60 percent of medium-range flights on Wednesday.
15,000 Qantas Passengers Could Be Stranded for Weeks
One of the airlines worst hit by the airspace closures is Australia's Qantas. Around 15,000 Qantas passengers are stranded and may have to wait weeks before getting flights. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said it would take "approximately two to three weeks to clear the current backlog". The airspace closures caused by Iceland's volcanic plume have left Qantas passengers stranded in Australia and numerous Asian hubs as well as Frankfurt and London. On Wednesday, however, the airline resumed its flights from Asia to Europe.
Meanwhile, the Icelandic Meteorological Office in Reykjavik announced Wednesday that the Eyjafjalljökull volcano, though still active, is emitting far less ash than earlier, and the column of smoke it is producing is only reaching an altitude of 3 kilometers (1.8 miles). The winds around Eyjafjalljökull have also shifted in a northerly direction, eliminating the immediate risk for Europe. Last week's ash plume that created such massive problems had been blown from the Atlantic island in an easterly direction towards continental Europe at an altitude of up to 11 kilometers.
Spiegel Internacional
