Eurocontrol has opened up some flight corridors in northern Europe. The opening allowed between 8000-9000 flights to take place, out of the normal 20,000+ normal volume. Here’s a map that shows the most current position for the ash cloud.
According to Eurocontrol, out of the normal 600 transatlantic flights (300 in each direction) that take place everyday, “219 flights have arrived in Europe today, and 233 have left Europe.”
I realize that you can just say “the volcano” and just about everyone will know which one you’re talking about, but a friend of mine decided to post a pronunciation guide, which I’ll quote below:
Tired of everybody mispronouncing the name of Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajökull. It’s pronounced ‘ay-yah-FYAH-plah-yer-kuh-duhl’. See? Simple! -Josh Bowser
Thanks Josh!
The latest reports indicate that the volcano has all but stopped erupting. Depending on who you talk to, it’s expected to take up to a week for normal air traffic to resume in Europe. The upper flight and lower flight levels are clear, but the mid-level section of the atmosphere is still heavily contaminated with ash.
The financial losses to the airlines are staggering.
Various airlines are reporting astronomical losses as a result of the volcano eruption. Air France reports losing between 25-35 million euros a day and so does British Airways. Finair is reporting a daily loss of between 2-3 million euros. Total losses are reportedly over $1 billion.
As a combined group, the airlines have lost so much money that the European Commission is considering bailout packages for them.
Even though flight operations are resuming, and Lufthansa and KLM reported no damage to planes that they ferried between airports, NATO reports that 2 F-16s out on routine patrol flew through the ash cloud and damaged their engines.
USAF F-16C
Photo Credit: titicat
The French government reports that airports located north of a Bordeaux-Nice at least until Tuesday 08h00 (06h00 GMT). They also estimate that about 100,000 French citizens have been stranded abroad because of the ash cloud.
Other Industries affected as well
It’s not just the passenger airlines that have been affected. Cargo airlines have also been crippled by the volcanic ash. Cruise lines are having a hard time getting passengers to their ships since the trains are all booked and 80% of the airspace has been closed for the last 5 days. Even Airbus has seen deliveries halted out of their Hamburg base due to the ash cloud.
File photo or normal flight operations in Hamburg
Photo Credit: Cyril Plapied
A friend of mine has a trip scheduled to Europe later this week. I think “guarded optimism” is the best way to describe his mood. Here’s to getting everyone home or off to their planned trips etc. as safely and quickly as possible.
i love planes