Airlines call for flights to resume

Airline industry group Iata called for steps to reopen European airspace that has been shut down by a volcanic ash cloud, and the European Commission said it might approve compensation for airlines losing about $250-million (R1.8-million) a day.

Iata head Giovanni Bisignani criticised authorities in Europe who he said had "missed opportunities to fly safely" as officials said they expected less than a third of flights to operate in Europe yesterday, the fifth day of disruption.

"This volcano has crippled the aviation sector, first in Europe, and is now having worldwide implications. The scale of the economic impact is now greater than 9/11, when US airspace was closed for three days," Bisignani said.

"We must move away from this blanket closure and find ways to flexibly open air space, step by step," he told a news briefing in Paris.

Airline shares fell in early trade yesterday and EU competition chief Joaquin Almunia said the EU Commission is considering easing stringent rules for state aid to airlines.

"I am looking at what we did after 9/11. We can use similar instruments," he said.

British Airways, which said it has lost up to £20-million (R229-million) a day in passenger and freight revenue, said it had asked the EU and national governments for compensation.

Over the weekend only a fifth of normal flights were flown. Figures released by Eurocontrol show 80000 fewer flights in Europe since last Thursday compared to the same period a week ago.

Austria opened its airports yesterday but other countries kept no-fly decrees in place. Italy closed its northern airspace after briefly opening it.

Millions of passengers have been stranded by the closures, and trade has also been hit.

Businesses dependent on fast air freight felt the early impact of the disruption. Kenya's flower exporters said they were losing up to $2-million a day. Kenya accounts for about a third of flower imports into the EU.

Airlines have called for a review of no-fly decrees after conducting weekend test flights without apparent problems from the ash cloud.

But glass build-up was found in an engine of a Nato F-16 fighter plane, underscoring the dangers of flying through the cloud. Volcanic ash is abrasive and can strip off aerodynamic surfaces. In high temperatures of an engine turbine, fragments of ash can turn to molten glass and paralyse the engine.

Iceland's Meteorological Office said the erupting volcano appeared to be spewing more steam and less ash into the sky.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Britain would deploy three Royal Navy ships including an aircraft carrier to bring home about 150000 stranded citizens.