Ash cloud chaos moves to Germany
Monday, 25 May, 2011
0
Passengers heading in and out of Germany can expect severe delays today following a drift of ash from the erupting Icelandic volcano Grimsvotn.
Air traffic controller NATS says the ash has now moved away from UK airspace although it warns it may return at the weekend.
Germany has closed its northern airspace and Bremen and Hamburg airport shut early this morning. Both Berlin’s Schonefeld and Tegel airports are expected to close around 11am.
British Airways has cancelled one London to Hamburg and two Hamburg to London flights while Easyjet has also cancelled some German services.
Ryanair has dropped all flights in and out of Bremen, Lubeck and Magdeburg until 1pm today.
All advise passengers to check with their airline before travelling.
Yesterday 1600 services in and out of the north of England and Scotland were severely disrupted but airlines say they expect to resume normal service today.
However, European flights will be subject to delays.
But British Airway’s chief executive Willie Walsh told the BBC Today programme this morning that a test flight sent up yesterday through the ash cloud red zone found only minuscule levels of ash.
He said: “The simple answer is we found nothing."
He told the BBC that BA would be making a case that it is safe to fly through the ash cloud, adding: "I think we need to understand the levels of concentration that we are talking about…the levels are absolutely tiny."
Ryanair weighed into the debate in typically ebullient fashion. Chief executive Michael O’Leary also sent a test flight through the ash, accusing the Civil Aviation Authority of incompetence and calling the dangers of the ash cloud "mythical".
He said: “They should take their finger out of their incompetent bureaucratic backsides and allow the aircraft back into the skies over Scotland".
However, the CAA says Ryanair’s tests were not thorough and its test flight did not fly through the thickest concentration of ash.
Meanwhile, transport secretary Phillip Hammond said he refused to be dictated to by airlines.
He, said: “I do not think Michael O’Leary should take the law into his own hands and say I think it’s safe to fly. It’s not a responsible course of action.
“Neither I nor the CAA are going to be bullied by an airline operator.”
The Met Office is now predicting that the entire UK could be in the ash cloud red zone on Saturday with thick ash circulating at 35,000 feet.
by Dinah Hatch
Dinah
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025