Iceland Volcano: Flights And Airports - April 20

Flights Resume Around The World Despite New Ash Cloud At Eyjafjallajokull

Yesterday, the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) in charge of managing UK airspace released information that the volcano eruption underneath the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland has strengthened and a new ash cloud was spreading south and east towards the UK. Today, NATS warns that the situation regarding the volcanic eruption in Iceland remains dynamic and the latest information from the meteorological services shows that the situation will continue to be variable. Despite the lack of clarity as to the status of the volcanic eruption at Eyjafjallajokull, flights continue resuming as more airspace opens up around the world.

• Eyjafjallajokull: Eruption Strengthens, New Ash Cloud Formed
• Eyjafjallajokull Volcano Flights: List Of Airports April 19
• Travel Update: British Airspace Reopens April 20th
  

Based on the latest Met Office information, part of Scottish and Northern Irish airspace including Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh airports will continue to be available from 1900 today to 0100 tomorrow, Wednesday 21 April, and also south to Newcastle Airport. Glasgow and Teesside airports will additionally become available in this time period.

NATS is giving new recommendations based on what height the flights are being carried out, saying restrictions will remain in place over the rest of UK airspace below 20,000ft. Flights above the ash cloud are now permitted in the UK; between 1900 today and 0100 tomorrow, this will enable aircraft movements above 20,000ft in UK airspace.

The next update from NATS is to follow today at 2100.

Meanwhile, here is the most up-to-date information on airport re-openings and airline operations around the world:

--Lufthansa has resumed flight operations and will operate all long-haul flights today. Some intra-european and domestic flights will also take place.
--KLM says that it will resume operatations in a phased manner. The airline is set to gradually begin European flights into and out of Amsterdam on Tuesday 20 April, saying approximately 50% of the scheduled flights will be operated. All intercontinental flights to Amsterdam are expected to arrive on Tuesday 20 April. All intercontinental flights scheduled to depart out of Amsterdam on Tuesday 20 April will be operated, with some exceptions.
--British Airways is still unable to resume operations -- the airline has cancelled all shorthaul flights on Tuesday 20 April. It has also cancelled all longhaul flights, departing from the UK, Tuesday 20 April. Longhaul flights, arriving into the UK, before 12:00 UK local time Wednesday 21 April, were also cancelled.
--United Airlines still has a travel waiver in place for Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, London, Madrid, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Rome and Zurich until April 23.
--Air Canada has an advisary in effect regarding flights to London, Frankfurt, Paris, Munich, Zurich and Geneva. The airline says flights to these cities may be impacted by volcanic activity all day on April 20, 2010.

--Brussels Airport (Belgium) -- As of the last update on April 19, the airport advisary says air traffic resumes gradually, but the Belgian airspace remains closed until Tuesday 8 hours. Air traffic will then resume gradually before coming to its normal situation in the coming days.
--Vienna Airport (Austria) -- Flight operations resumed at Vienna Airport. At Vienna International Airport, according to Austrocontrol, flight operations resumed at 5.00 am on Monday, 19 April 2010.
--Tallinn Airport (Estonia) -- The airspace at the vicinity of Tallinn Airport was re-opened in Monday evening. After 10:00 am (April 20) flights are cancelled at Tallinn Airport until 03:00 pm.
--Charles de Gaulle Airport (France) -- Partial reopening of the air traffic over Paris from Tuesday April 20, 8 am.
--Krakow Airport (Poland) -- Some flights are resuming. On April 20, the afternoon Jet Air flight from Gdańsk to Kraków via Poznań, as well as return flight will operate.
--Prague Airport (Czech Republic) -- The air navigation services of the Czech Republic have enabled a temporary opening of the airspace above the Czech Republic. This provision will take effect on 12:00 p.m. for a period of 48 hours, until April 21, 2010.
--Zurich Airport (Switzerland) -- The latest update posted on Tuesday at 10:00 says that air traffic was re-installed since Tuesday, 08:00 CEST.
--Schiphol Airport (Netherlands -- Dutch airspace will gradually become available for air traffic on Tuesday. All traffic to and from the airport will commence in phases.
--Copehagen Airport (Denmark) -- Danish airspace will reopen at 2.00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 21. Copenhagen Airport will open for operations immediately after.
--Oslo Airport (Norway) -- The airspace over Oslo Airport is open for traffic until 8.00 PM Tuesday April 20. It is primarily the departures to and from Norwegian airports that operate. International traffic depends on when airspace and airports in the respective countries open. However, some airlines plans to operate international routes. Forecasts indicates that the airport can remain open until 08.00 on Wedensday morning.
--Frankfurt Airport (Germany) -- Inbound and outbound air traffic has been halted at the airport till 2 o'clock on Tuesday morning. The airport in Munich (Germany) reports that operations of limited flights is still possible.
--Swedavia Airports (Sweden) -- The update made on April 20 at 5:15 p.m. suggests that the ash cloud is now moving north, which means that Stockholm-Arlanda Airport is expected to close at 8 PM. Also Karlstad Airport is expected to close during the night, according to the latest forecast. This means that only Swedavia airports in the North will be open for traffic as of tonight; ie Kiruna Airport, Luleå Airport, Umeå Airport, Örnsköldsvik Airport, Åre Östersund Airport and Sundsvall Härnösand Airport.  The assessment right now is that there is a big risk that Stockholm Arlanda and Stockholm Bromma will remain closed for air traffic Wednesday morning as well.
--Helsinki Airport (Finland) -- As of 1:45 PM on April 20, Helsinki airport air traffic is suspended due to volcanic ash.
--Heathrow Airport (UK) -- As of 15:00 BST on April 20, flights are still suspended at Heathrow until further notice.

   

Videos

Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland_wmv

see larger video

sourced by Yuliya Talmazan