The volcanic ash cloud from Iceland that is once again crippling air traffic across Europe will likely spare German airports for the immediate future, the German Weather Service (DWD) reported on Monday.
Five southern German airports closed due to a second ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano have been reopened, authorities announced late on Sunday evening.
Six flights to and from Frankfurt airport and Spain were cancelled on Saturday because of another ash-cloud from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull.
The knock-on damage to airlines because of last month’s volcano ash cloud over Europe is becoming clear after Germany’s second biggest carrier, Air Berlin, on Thursday revealed a sharp drop in the number of seats it filled in April.
German Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer will host a meeting for airlines and aviation officials in Berlin on Tuesday to review ways to handle future problems with volcanic ash.
Government leaders in Germany scrambled on Thursday to defend the decisions taken over the past week to clear the skies because of the threat of volcanic ash, as airlines continued to resume their normal flight schedules.
Air traffic authorities’ Wednesday decision to lift restrictions on German airspace – effectively declaring it safe to fly – was based on the same computer simulations previously criticised as insufficient by airlines, officials have told The Local.
Air travel in Germany was set to creep back to normality Wednesday with the air traffic authority DFS announcing air space would be opened at 11 am for all regular flights.
German authorities have extended the closure of the country's airspace to 2 am Wednesday due to the giant plume of volcanic ash, though some airlines continued to operate flights with special permission.
Two comprehensive test flights by aircraft-manufacturer Airbus have shown no damage to aircraft or pilot's visibility, a company spokesman said Tuesday, suggesting the danger in volcanic ash-affected European airspace is lower than thought.
The giant cloud of volcanic ash disrupting air traffic across Europe has prevented German Chancellor Angela Merkel from getting home on time Friday from her US tour, a government spokesperson said. She will now spend the night in Lisbon.
