Europe sees limited resumption of flights

Europe began allowing limited air traffic to resume, giving hope to millions of travellers stranded around the world when ash from a volcano in Iceland choked the jet age to a halt.

Some flights resumed early today from Asia to southern Europe.

But further delays were likely because the eruption from the Icelandic volcano that caused days of aviation chaos was said to be strengthening and sending more ash towards Britain.

British air traffic controllers kept London’s main airports closed today.

In Asia, a Japan Airlines flight from Moscow landed this morning at Tokyo’s Narita Airport, the first European flight to arrive since Friday night, airport spokesman Toru Motoyoshi said. Yesterday, two Alitalia flights departed for Italy.

Singapore Airlines resumed flights early today to Barcelona and Rome, which joined Athens as the only European cities it flies to.

But the airline said flights remained cancelled to London, Zurich, Copenhagen and Frankfurt.

Singapore’s Changi International Airport said 16 flights on five carriers were cancelled today.

At South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, one flight departed for Istanbul, but all other flights to Europe were cancelled today, said airport spokeswoman Kate Kang. She said about 250 passengers were stranded at the airport.

Three KLM passenger planes left Schiphol airport in Amsterdam yesterday evening during daylight under visual flight rules bound for New York, Dubai and Shanghai.

European Union transport ministers reached a deal during a crisis videoconference to divide northern European skies into three areas: a “no-fly” zone immediately over the ash cloud; a caution zone “with some contamination” where planes can fly subject to engine checks for damage; and an open-skies zone.

Starting this morning, “we should see progressively more planes start to fly,” said EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas.

The German airline Lufthansa said it would bring 50 planeloads of passengers home.