New Eruptions End Hopes Of Fast, Full Return To European Skies
An estimated 50 percent of flights within European airspace operated today as news of a second ash cloud drifting towards the afflicted region dashed hopes of a quick end to the Icelandic volcano crisis. Travel management companies described the chaos caused to corporate travel as unprecedented. "From an operational standpoint, though of course not the human cost, this event surpasses 9/11," said Emmanuel Guirado, Carlson Wagonlit Travel's EMEA vice president for traveler and transaction services. "This is of a totally different magnitude."
Guirado told BTN the crisis is causing considerable damage to plans for corporate travel over the coming weeks. "We are asking customers to postpone trips unless they are business-critical," he said.
European Union transport ministers divided the EU into three zones—no-fly, limited service and open skies—which resulted in total airspace closure in several countries, including Ireland, Norway, Poland and almost all of England. Other European countries did open their airspace to a greater or lesser extent, but in all cases with severe disruptions to service.
Passengers on services between continental Europe and North America were helped by the United Kingdom's air traffic control company, NATS, permitting overflights of British airspace at altitudes of 20,000ft or higher. United States-bound flights from London remain grounded, although press time British Airways has 12 London-bound aircraft in the air from the western seaboard and cities in Asia. It is not clear if these flights will be diverted, possibly to Edinburgh, where Qatar Airways landed two aircraft today originally destined for London and Manchester. Qatar has canceled 135 flights since ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano started to disrupt aviation last Thursday.
Several long-haul airlines also have been diverting services to Madrid, which has remained open throughout the crisis.
More optimistically, Bmi British Midland announced at midday Eastern Daylight Time that it expects to resume flights from London Heathrow at 7 a.m. EDT on Wednesday. However, all airlines and air traffic control authorities have stressed the situation remains highly fluid. Although a second ash cloud is drifting southeastward from Iceland, winds over Europe are expected to move southwesterly this weekend, giving cause for optimism. Yet, even if airspace is largely reopened in the next few days, a travel management source told BTN he had been warned by airlines that sorting out the backlog of stranded passengers could cause disruption for another two weeks, especially on long-haul routes.
As a result, competition for seats is increasing between those awaiting repatriation and those yet to travel. Chris Reynolds, director of travel management consultancy 3Sixty, said corporate clients planning travel for the week ahead are going to the expense of booking expensive fully flexible tickets. "They are making the assumption that if they are on fully flexible tickets they will be first on the list to be boarded," said Reynolds.
Meanwhile, a major rescue effort is continuing for stranded travelers, some of whom are being delayed for a sixth day. Carlson Wagonlit, which last weekend received 90,000 emergency calls, compared with a weekend average of 900, has been running regular bus service from Paris to both London and Barcelona.
Brian Donnelly, EMEA regional director for the travel management company FCm, warned of another effect of the crisis. "Hotels are getting very full in certain cities, including Madrid and airline hubs like Dubai and Singapore," he said.