Europe

http://www.timesofearth.com/Worldnews/?NT=0&nid=20919 A number of flights have resumed through several major European airports, five days after volcanic ash caused thousands of planes to be grounded across the globe.
A limited number of flights to and from Asia, North America and Europe took off on Tuesday, as airports reopened in central Europe and Scandinavia.

But the development came amid warnings of a fresh cloud of debris heading towards the continent, as Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull began spewing lava and heavy ash.

Earlier, Britain’s National Air Traffic Service (Nats) said a new ash cloud was spreading south and east towards the UK, while the European Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) said it may also hit Denmark and Scandinavia.

British officials said London airports were likely to remain closed for another day due to the plume, although airports in the north of the country were beginning to resume, with its first flight leaving Scotland early Tuesday morning.

Britain has dispatched three naval ships to rescue stranded Britons, including troops returning from Afghanistan.

The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and amphibious assault ship HMS Ocean were made available for those stranded in France, while the assault ship HMS Albion was en route to northern Spain to pick up British troops.

The new wave of ash has forced aviation officials to close airports on Norway’s southwestern coast, from Stavanger to Kristiansand, after authorities had
lifted air travel restrictions in most parts of Norway.

Icelandic police said there was still “considerable volcanic activity at the site and
three seemingly separate craters are still erupting”.

But a statement noted that the plume was “smaller and lighter” than it had been previously, “indicating that there is not much ash in it”.

The Eurocontrol air traffic agency in Brussels said it expects some 55 to 60 per cent of flights over Europe to go ahead on Tuesday, a significant improvement over the last few days.

By midmorning, 10,000 of Europe’s 27,500 daily flights were scheduled to go.

In China, the first flight to Northern Europe since late last week set off at 12 noon local time (04:00 GMT), and the first commercial flight bound for NEw York’s JFK airport left from Paris.

Schiphol airport in Amsterdam has seen a number of flights depart since Monday evening, with the Dutch government approving flights under certain conditions.

Airspace has also reopened or begun to partially reopen in Sweden, Austria, Italy, France, Latvia and Lithuania.

In Germany, airspace remains officially closed until 1200G and in Denmark airspace above 16,600 feet has been opened, but flights are unable to land.

The move to ease flight restrictions had come after criticism from carriers, who said test flights in recent days by airlines including KLM, Lufthansa and British Airways suggested planes could fly safely despite the ash and that the danger was exaggerated.

None of the test flights reported problems or damage.
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