LONDON (Reuters) – Volcanic ash from Iceland grounded 1,000 flights and delayed hundreds of thousands of passengers in parts of northern Europe yesterday, although forecasters said the situation would improve during the week.
Several of Europe’s busiest airports, including London’s Heathrow and Schiphol in Amsterdam, were closed for several hours due to fears the ash could damage jet engines and bring down aircraft.
Eurocontrol, the European air traffic agency, said about 1,000 flights out of a total of 28,000 in Europe had been cancelled yesterday, but it offered passengers hope that the disruption will soon pass.
“During the course of the day, the current cloud is expected to disperse,” the agency said in a statement. “Delays will also be experienced by flights due to congestion in airspace adjacent to closed areas.”
Dutch airspace was reopened from 1100 GMT and Schiphol airport’s check-in counters were operating again in anticipation, although an airport spokesman said it may take a while longer for flights to resume.
London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports reopened after overnight closures, but passengers were warned to expect long delays and cancellations throughout the day.
Britain’s air traffic control body eased a no-fly zone that affected Heathrow and Gatwick because the drifting ash cloud had changed direction. The restrictions remained in place over Northern Ireland and the Shetland Isles, off northern Scotland.
The Met Office, Britain’s weather forecasting body, said southwesterly winds should push the cloud away from British and northern European airspace yesterday and today.
The same Icelandic volcano’s ash last month prompted a number of European countries to close their airspace for nearly a week and travel chaos ensued in Europe and beyond.
British Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said aviation officials and aircraft makers were considering whether to allow planes to fly through higher densities of ash.
British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh said the closure was a “gross over-reaction to a very minor risk”.