New ash cloud could extend air travel threat

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New ash cloud could extend air travel threat

By the CNN Wire StaffApril 19, 2010 -- Updated 2159 GMT (0559 HKT)

London, England (CNN) -- The eruption of an Icelandic volcano, which had slowed

in recent days, strengthened Monday, spewing a new cloud of ash that officials

said was heading toward the United Kingdom, possibly posing a renewed threat to

air travel.

" This demonstrates the dynamic and rapidly changing conditions in which we are

working, " the United Kingdom's National Air Traffic Service said in a written

statement. " Latest information ... shows that the situation is worsening in some

areas. Based on this information, the situation for Northern Irish airports for

the morning is uncertain, due to the new ash cloud. "

The statement came after millions of travelers stranded on both sides of the

Atlantic were given a glimpse of hope earlier in the day, with officials

announcing a plan to partially reopen European skies to air traffic.

However, Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano spewed a new cloud of ash up to

15,000 feet in the air.

ish airports should be available Tuesday morning as announced, the air

traffic service said, and more UK airspace may become available Tuesday

afternoon " although not as far south as the main London airports. "

The situation is likely to change overnight, officials said. " We are working

closely with government, airports and airlines, and airframe and aero engine

manufacturers to get a better understanding of the effects of the ash cloud and

to seek solutions, " the air traffic services said.

Earlier, European Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas said, " from tomorrow

morning on we should see progressively more planes start to fly. And this is

good news for Europe's stranded passengers, good news for airline industry and

other sectors hard hit by this crisis. "

Authorities warned that Tuesday's reopening will not bring air traffic to its

usual levels. European Union officials agreed to a plan involving three zones:

one that remains closed, one open to all flights and one open only to certain

flights.

The measures will go into effect Tuesday morning, Kallas said.

There will not be " any compromise on safety, " Kallas said. He called the current

situation " unsustainable " and said it is clear " we cannot just wait until this

ash cloud dissipates. "

Kallas rejected suggestions that European Union ministers should have acted more

quickly to allow flights to resume. It took Sunday's test flights to provide the

information necessary, he said.

Since the volcanic eruption worsened last week, sending an ash cloud into the

skies, airlines have been losing at least $200 million a day, according to the

International Air Transport Association, the trade group representing airlines.

Airports had lost close to 136 million euros ($184 million) as of Sunday, said

Olivier Jankovec, director general of Airports Council International, Europe.

More than 6.8 million passengers have been affected, Jankovec said in a

statement, adding that the effect is worse than after the September 11 terrorist

attacks on the United States.

Thousands of people have been living in airports.

" I have been living out of my carry-on for five days, " said o Wu, stranded

in Amsterdam, Netherlands. After two nights sleeping on a cot at the airport, he

was able to get into a hotel with an actual bed, he said. " I have no bags. My

bags are somewhere, I think, at the airport. I just have my carry-on, " he said.

Britain dispatched Royal Navy ships to bring home some stranded British

travelers, including members of its military, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said

Monday.

The HMS Albion will arrive Tuesday morning in Santander, Spain, " where its

primary role will be to collect U.K. service personnel who have recently left

the ongoing operation in Afghanistan, " Britain's Ministry of Defense said in a

statement.

The HMS Ocean is in southern British waters and standing by for orders, while

the HMS Ark Royal, which had been deployed on an exercise off the northwest

coast of Scotland, was sailing south.

Video: Stranded travelers cram Eurostar station

Chart: Decline in flights

Gallery: Volcano ash causes more travel chaos

Explainer: How ash affects aircraft engines RELATED TOPICS

Volcanic Eruptions

Air Travel

Iceland

Europe

Brown said he spoke to Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero about

using airports in Spain, which have been less affected by the air travel chaos,

as a hub through which to bring people back to Britain. Further information will

be released later Monday, Brown said.

Along with the EU announcement that skies were open, several governments and

airlines announced specific plans to resume some flights. Announcements poured

in from Finland to Belgium to France.

Germany's Lufthansa airline said it would send 50 planes currently in

international destinations back to Germany, and they would bring back up to

15,000 passengers. The flights will begin late Monday, with the first set to

land early Tuesday. Some domestic flights would also begin Monday night, the

airline said.

At the airport in furt, Germany, some Lufthansa workers took covers off

plane engines. A cargo plane pilot said that one or two flights per day have

operated out of furt and that no ill effects were seen from the ash cloud.

The planes were outfitted with special foils that ash would stick to.

British Airways said it would resume some flights in and out of London's

airports beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesday (2 p.m. ET).

A British Airways test Sunday found no damage to the aircraft at a variety of

altitudes, the airline said in a statement Monday.

" The analysis we have done so far, alongside that from other airlines' trial

flights, provides fresh evidence that the current blanket restrictions on

airspace are unnecessary, " said Willie Walsh, British Airways' chief executive.

Finland's Ministry of Defense, however, said in a statement Monday that Finnish

Air Force F-18 Hornet fighters that conducted test flights over northern Finland

on Thursday showed effects from volcanic material.

" A post-landing inspection revealed accumulations of powdery volcanic dust in

the aircraft's air intakes, " the ministry said. Officials used a fiberscope to

closely examine the engines of one aircraft, and " imagery ... indicated that

even a short-duration flight inside an ash cloud may cause substantial damage to

aircraft engines. "

The engines will undergo a more thorough inspection, the ministry said.

Meteorologist Derrick Ryall of the MET Office in London said there is no

" defined safe limit " for volcanic ash.

" No one has said what a safe limit for aircraft is, so therefore it's very

difficult for these judgments to be made, " he said.

Would you be scared to fly through the ash cloud?

The air disruptions have led to cancellations of numerous high-profile visits.

Many world leaders, including President Obama, were unable to attend Sunday's

funeral services for Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton canceled plans to travel to Helsinki,

Finland, a State Department official said. Clinton was set to depart Washington

on Tuesday. No decision has been made about whether she will keep plans to visit

Tallinn, Estonia, the official said. If she does, she will not depart before

Wednesday.