Brussels, 20/04/2010 (Agence Europe) - At an extraordinary meeting on Monday 19 April, EU transport ministers agreed a joint response with a view to the “progressive and coordinated” opening, with all guarantees of safety, of European airspace which has been closed since mid-April as a result of the cloud of volcanic ash, the Spanish Presidency has announced in a press release (see EUROPE 10121). Under the plan approved by member states, in the light of a recommendation adopted unanimously by national authorities and experts from the 38 Eurocontrol (European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation) countries and in place from Tuesday 20 April, European airspace has been divided into three zones, depending on the density of the volcanic ash. Head of Eurocontrol Bo Redeborn, speaking to press on Monday evening, said that air traffic could be back to normal as early as Thursday 22 April, if weather forecasts remain unchanged and if further eruption of the Eyjafjöll volcano in Iceland does not bring fresh disruption.
The agreement, which was made public on Monday, states that the first of the three zones will be located in the central nucleus of the emissions (the cloud of ash with a buffer zone to respond to changes in weather) where no flights will be allowed. How this zone develops will be closely monitored by Eurocontrol by means of satellite imagery and will be updated every six hours. The second zone will relate to the area still containing ash, but not representing any threat to safety. Flights will be authorised but the extent of the zone and the authorisation of flights will be decided “in a coordinated manner” by member states' national authorities. The third zone is not affected by the ash, so that there are no restrictions planned. The ministers' decision also calls on the European Commission to contribute to smooth coordination so that citizens' mobility can be ensured through other modes of transport “as long as air traffic is not totally open”. It will be for member states to guarantee the full operation of alternate forms of transport. Spain has reached an agreement with the United Kingdom to facilitate the return of British travellers to the UK, and the UIC (International Union of Railways) has given assurances that it will do all in its power to increase capacity and help transport travellers who are caught up in airports. The Commission is expected to launch a period of reflection on this issue, Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas told press, describing the decision on new airspace management rules as “real progress”.
On Tuesday morning, national authorities began gradually opening their airspaces and the number of flights taking off on Tuesday was estimated at up to 14,000 (compared with 8,700 the previous day), though this is still only half the usual number. According to Eurocontrol, flights were expected to be authorised in about three quarters of Europe (including Austria, the Balkans, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, Spain, parts of Italy and France, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Northern Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey). There would probably be no air control services (or they would be under strictly restricted conditions) in the lower airspace in north-west Europe (including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, the north of France, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Ukraine). The upper airspace (above 20,000 feet) was available throughout Europe. Since 15 April and the start of the disruption, 95,000 flights have been cancelled, with Sunday 18 April being the hotspot, when 79.2% of flights in Europe were cancelled, Eurocontrol says.
The European Commission said on Tuesday that it had not, so far, received any requests for state aid, despite announcements made by various airline companies about the need for compensation for losses incurred (€186 per day for airlines, according to the International Air Transporters Association, and a provisional total of €200 million for the airport sector which intends to ask for public compensation). The ad hoc group convened on Sunday was continuing to monitor the situation, said Helen Kearns, the spokeswoman for the transport commissioner, indicating that it was not just the aviation sector that had been affected. She stated, too, that, following the efforts made during the weekend to prepare a coordinated response, the Commission was continuing to monitor the situation. The College of Commissioners discussed the matter on Tuesday afternoon, and the Spanish Presidency was due to call a second extraordinary meeting of transport ministers to assess the socio-economic impact of the current situation. (A.By./transl.rt)