From just over a fifth of flights taking to the air yesterday, the figure could rise to up to a half today, said the officials.
The closure of most of Europe’s airspace because of a huge cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano has cost the airline industry hundreds of millions of dollars, millions of passengers have been stranded, and importers and exporters have been hit.
The crisis has had a knock on effect across the world and its impact on everyday life in Europe has deepened. In Britain, companies reported that staff had been unable to get back from Easter holidays abroad and hospitals said they were cancelling some operations because surgeons were stuck far away from home.
A senior EU official said the current situation was not sustainable, as airlines called for a review of no-fly decrees after conducting test flights at the weekend without any apparent problems from the ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano.
“We cannot wait until the ash flows just disappear,” said Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas, adding that he hoped 50 per cent of European airspace would be risk-free today.
