Carriers scramble to resume UK flights
Published: 21/04/2010 - Filed under: News »
Flights in and out of the UK are gradually resuming after restrictions caused by the volcanic ash were lifted last night. BA says it is looking to operate all long-haul flights from Heathrow and Gatwick today, but there will be short-haul cancellations.
A statement on the carrier's website (updated at 0640 today) says:
"We are very pleased that the aviation authorities have opened UK airspace to enable us to begin bringing our stranded customers home, as well as working towards normal operations.
"As we have many aircraft and crew out of position, it will still take some time to return to our full flying programme. We are working hard to see how many flights we can operate to help our customers.
"At this stage we are looking to operate all longhaul flights departing from Heathrow and Gatwick on Wednesday April 21.
"There will be shorthaul cancellations to and from London airports until 1300 (UK time) on Wednesday 21 April.
"We hope to have further updates soon."
Easyjet says it has restarted "some services across the UK and Continental Europe today", but warns that "due to the extent of the disruption, it will take several days to resume normal operations and delays are likely".
Bmi said it planned a "phased reintroduction of its international and domestic flights to and from London Heathrow" from 0900 today, while Virgin said last night that it aimed to operate "a number of flights to and from its UK and international airports over the next 24 hours onwards, with the aim of resuming its full flight schedule as soon as possible".
Business Traveller will update this article with more information as it becomes available.
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BusinessTraveller - 21/04/2010 08:28
EASYJET STATEMENT: 0924
Easyjet to operate 900 flights with 140,000 passengers today
Following the re-opening of airspace across the UK and Europe, Easyjet plans to operate 900 flights or 86% of its network today. Passengers should check the easyjet.com website under ‘latest travel information’ for details on their specific flight.
The UK’s largest airline today hopes to carry over 140.000 passengers in an effort to repatriate as many passengers as soon as possible. Services have resumed across the UK and Continental Europe from this morning, with the first European flight leaving Geneva for Amsterdam at 4:17am (local time) and the first UK flight leaving London Gatwick for Malaga at 5:30am (local time).
Safety is Easyjet’s number one priority. easyJet conducted four evaluation flights yesterday, one from London Luton to Scotland and back and three from Geneva over different parts of Europe. These evaluation flights were successful, and a thorough inspection by our engineers has revealed no contamination with volcanic ash. These tests have been a prerequisite for the resumption of services this morning.
Due to the extent of the disruption, it will take several days to resume normal operations. Passengers booked on an Easyjet flight today or tomorrow should go to www.easyJet.com before travelling to the airport to find the latest status of their flight.
To enable us to carry as many passengers as possible to their destinations, a revised check-in process will be effective from today until further notice.
Important notice to passengers:
1. Go to www.easyjet.com before you leave for the airport
This will always be the best place to find the latest updates on the disruption. Given the unique volcanic and weather patterns cancellations can happen at very short notice as well as reinstating flights so please ensure you visit the website immediately before you travel to the airport. If your flight is cancelled, do not travel to the airport.
2. Keep checking your e-mails
If your flight is cancelled you will receive an e-mail with information on your options.
3. Get to the airport early! Check-in closes 1 HOUR* before departure
Remember that airports will be very busy – make sure you leave plenty of time for check-in. Please note that check-in desks will close 1 HOUR* before departure, instead of the usual 40 minutes. This is to help us get as many disrupted passengers as possible transferred onto available flights home.
* Check-in closes 90 minutes before departure at Sharm El Sheikh (SSH), and Hurghada (HRG) airports.
4. Check in AT THE AIRPORT – no online boarding passes accepted
Online check-in has been temporarily suspended – you will not be able to travel using an online check-in boarding pass. ALL passengers MUST go to the airport check-in desks on arrival at the airport, even if you have already checked in online. This will allow us to transfer as many disrupted passengers as possible on to available seats.
BusinessTraveller - 21/04/2010 09:34
RYANAIR STATEMENT
Update 09:00hrs - 21st April -
Ryanair management are currently reveiwing the below proposed cancellations for Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd and a update will be posted on this site by 12:00hrs
Ryanair today (Tue 20th April) at 1500hrs confirmed that based on current meteorological forecasts and the continuing emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere over Iceland, it continues to operate Southbound flights from Spain, Southern Italy, Malta and Morocco as scheduled. From tomorrow Wed 21st April, Ryanair expects to resume Southbound flights from its Marseille base in the South of France as well. Passengers holding reservations on these flights at these airports, should continue to present themselves at these airports as normal.
Ryanair has today (20 Apr) extended its cancellation of its Northern European flights (UK, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, France, Germany, Poland, Baltic States and North Italy) from 1300hrs on Wed 21st April to 1300hrs on Thurs 22nd April.
In addition, Ryanair has decided to cancel all of its flights between Ireland and the UK until 1300hrs on Friday 23rd April in order to use these UK and Irish based aircraft to operate extra flights from the UK to Continental Europe; and from Ireland to Continental Europe from 1300hrs on Thurs 22nd April to clear any backlog of disrupted passengers travelling between Continental Europe, the UK and Ireland.
RYANAIR UPDATE – 15.00HRS TUE 20 APRIL
(A) Southbound flights from Spain, Southern Italy, Malta and Morocco continue as normal.
(B) Southbound fights from South of France (Marseille) to resume Wednesday 21st April.
(C) Extra flights from Madrid to Canary Islands scheduled for Wed 21st April and Thursday 22nd April to move passengers from Canaries to Mainland.
(D) Flights cancellations in Northern Europe extended from 1300hrs Wed 21st April to 1300hrs Thur 22nd April.
(E) Flights between Ireland and UK cancelled until 1300hrs Fri 23rd April to allow for extra flights from Ireland to Continental Europe and from UK to Continental Europe on Thursday 22nd April.
(F) Revised handling procedures notified to all airports to eliminate a backlog of passengers as soon as normal flight schedules resume.
BusinessTraveller - 21/04/2010 09:57
BMI STATEMENT
Bmi, British Midland International, commences first flights out of London Heathrow
Bmi is delighted to announce that its first flight out of London Heathrow since the start of the volcanic ash disruption has successfully departed. Flight BD771 from London Heathrow to Cairo departed at 09.47 this morning.
Bmi plans a phased reintroduction of its international and domestic flights to and from London Heathrow, following the reopening of UK airspace by the aviation authorities last night and plans to operate most of its international flights today and ramp up its UK & Ireland schedule during the day. A full international schedule is planned to operate on Thursday 22 April 2010. Safety is, and continues to be, bmi's number one priority and the planned schedule for Wednesday 21 April may be subject to change throughout the day so customers are advised to check their individual flight status on our website, flybmi.com, before leaving for the airport.
On Wednesday 21 April 2010, bmi plans to operate flights between London Heathrow and all its UK and Ireland destinations (Aberdeen, Belfast, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester) to help UK customers and businesses get back to business as usual. A reduced schedule will operate on Wednesday 21 April, while additional aircraft are sent to international destinations to rescue stranded customers. bmi will ramp up UK & Ireland flight operations for Thursday 22 April and further details will be published throughout today.
Bmi Regional plans to operate regional services on Wednesday 21 April 2010 between Edinburgh-Aberdeen, Brussels, Copenhagen, Leeds Bradford and Manchester; as well as services between Aberdeen-Birmingham, Manchester and Norwich; Brussels-East Midlands and Leeds Bradford; and Glasgow-Leeds Bradford.
Internationally Bmi plans to operate flights between London Heathrow and Addis Ababa, Amman, Baku, Beirut, Berlin, Cairo, Damascus, Freetown, Hanover, Jeddah, Moscow, Riyadh, Tbilisi, Tehran, Vienna and Yerevan on Wednesday 21 April 2010. While some flights will operate outside the usual schedule, Bmi hopes to operate 75% of its international flights to normal schedule on Wednesday and a full international schedule on Thursday 22 April 2010.
Customers should only travel to the airport if they have a confirmed flight booking. Customers whose flights were cancelled in the last seven days should contact Bmi’s call centre to rebook their flights on 0844 8484 888 (UK) or (01) 4073036 (Ireland). Customers whose flights were cancelled are entitled to a full refund or can rebook within three weeks of original departure date, for travel within two months. Normal refund conditions apply.
In addition any customers travelling between London Heathrow and Middle East, African and Russia/CIS destinations in the next seven days can defer their flights at no extra charge to free up seats for stranded customers. Customers on these routes wishing to change their flights can rebook to the same destination, with outbound travel to commence by Friday 21 May 2010. Normal refund conditions apply.
Finally Bmi, British Midland International, would like to thank all its customers for their patience over the last seven days and looks forward to welcoming them back onboard.
BusinessTraveller - 21/04/2010 10:05
OMAN AIR STATEMENT
Oman Air welcomes the resumption of European flights
Muscat, 21st April 2010: Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, today welcomed the reopening of UK airspace and the gradual resumption of flights to London, Paris, Frankfurt and Munich. The airline has also announced that it will operate a revised schedule of flights to Europe from Muscat from today.
Today’s flights to London, Paris and Frankfurt:
WY113 Muscat – Dubai – Frankfurt
Depart Muscat 1130, arrive Dubai 1230. Depart Dubai 1330, arrive Frankfurt 1800
WY103 Muscat – London Heathrow
Depart Muscat 1215, arrive London 1720
WY101 Muscat – London Heathrow
Depart Muscat 1400, arrive London 1805
WY131 Muscat – Paris
Depart Muscat 1330, arrive Paris 1920
Customers are advised to check the status of their flights with their travel agent or with the Oman Air call centre and are advised not to proceed to the airport unless they have a confirmed booking.
If customers do have a confirmed booking for flights today, they must report for check in at normal times.
BusinessTraveller - 21/04/2010 10:07
AER LINGUS STATEMENT
Aer Lingus Flight Schedule for Wednesday 21 April 2010
Aer Lingus has confirmed that all UK and European flights scheduled to depart up to 13:00 today, Wednesday 21 April, have been cancelled.
The majority of our transatlantic flights are due to operate, however, flights EI 105 from Dublin to New York and EI 133 from Dublin and Shannon to Boston have been cancelled.
All Aer Lingus scheduled flights post 13:00 today are scheduled to operate.
Customers are advised to visit aerlingus.com for up to date information on their flight status.
Aer Lingus has activated a change for free and refund request facility on aerlingus.com for affected customers.
BusinessTraveller - 21/04/2010 10:21
FLYBE STATEMENT
Flybe will begin operating as many of our services as we possibly can after 1300 today. All flights due to operate PRIOR to 1300 are cancelled, with the exception of the following flights which have now been re-scheduled to depart after 1300:
BE1646 Bergerac - Southampton (dep 1610 arr 1650)
BE7109 Birmingham - Hamburg (dep 1300 arr 1550)
BE431 Birmingham - Hannover (dep 1300 arr 1555)
BE7113 Birmingham - Milan Malpensa (dep 1300 arr 1605)
BE705 Exeter - Newcastle (dep 1300 arr 1415)
BE1425 Exeter - Malaga (dep 1300 arr 1630)
BE7110 Hamburg - Birmingham (dep 1615 arr 1720)
BE432 Hannover - Birmingham (dep 1620 arr 1720)
BE706 Hannover - Newcastle (dep 1805 arr 1905)
BE1226 Limoges - Southampton (dep 1555 arr 1625)
BE1426 Malaga - Exeter (dep 1710 arr 1850)
BE7354 Manchester - Milan Malpensa (dep 1300 arr 1620)
BE7114 Milan Malpensa - Birmingham (dep 1635 arr 1745)
BE7355 Milan Malpensa - Manchester (dep 1650 arr 1805)
BE706 Newcastle - Exeter (dep 1950 arr 2105)
BE705 Newcastle- Hannover (dep 1440 arr 1740)
BE1645 Southampton - Bergerac (dep 1300 arr 1545)
BE1225 Southampton - Limoges (dep 1300 arr 1530)
All other flights scheduled to depart after 1300, we intend to operate as scheduled. However, we have had to CANCEL the following flights due to depart after 1300 largely because their outbound legs had already been cancelled in prior to 1300:
BE644 Aberdeen - Leeds Bradford (dep 1815)
BE483 Belfast City - Manchester (dep 1715)
BE7077 Birmingham - Frankfurt (dep 1405)
BE790 Birmingham - Glasgow (dep 1530)
BE282 Cardiff - Belfast City (dep 1450)
BE264 Doncaster - Belfast City (dep 1415)
BE1504 Exeter - Belfast City (dep 1525)
BE643 Exeter - Leeds Bradford (dep 1450)
BE7078 Frankfurt - Birmingham (dep 1740)
BE7266 Frankfurt - Manchester (dep 1520)
BE791 Glasgow - Birmingham (dep 1710)
BE1130 Jersey - Edinburgh (dep 1300)
BE946 Jersey - London Gatwick (dep 1620)
BE164 Jersey - Luton (dep 1430)
BE456 Jersey - Manchester (dep1410)
BE643 Leeds Bradford - Aberdeen (dep 1620)
BE644 Leeds Bradford - Exeter (dep 1955)
BE174 Leeds Bradford - Southampton (dep 1705)
BE7294 London Gatwick - Aberdeen (dep 1450)
BE7325 London Gatwick - Inverness (dep 1435)
BE164 Luton - Isle of Man (dep 1600)
BE163 Luton - Jersey (dep 1300)
BE482 Manchester - Belfast City (dep 1550)
BE870 Manchester - Southampton (dep 1650)
BE1504 Paris Charles de Gaulle - Exeter (dep 1430)
BE714 Paris Charles de Gaulle - Jersey (dep 1545)
BE1026 Rennes - Southampton (dep 1320)
BE173 Southampton - Leeds Bradford (dep 1540)
BE869 Southampton - Manchester (dep 1520)
Flybe advises travellers to continue checking www.flybe.com on a regular basis for further updates.
BusinessTraveller - 21/04/2010 11:36
AIR FRANCE KLM STATEMENT
Wednesday 21st April 12:30pm - Air France and KLM yesterday successfully restarted the vast majority of their operations out of their Paris and Amsterdam hubs. With UK airspace restrictions lifted late last night, Air France and KLM are now also gradually resuming operations into and out of the UK today.
Air France is operating a normal service for long-haul flights departing Paris-Charles-de Gaulle and Paris-Orly. The number of short and medium-haul operations is increasing progressively. Yesterday, 25% of all short and medium-haul flights operated.
KLM expects to operate all intercontinental flights to and from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol today, Wednesday 21st April, according to schedule. Today, KLM will operate approximately 70% of all European flights.
Air France and KLM advise passengers not to travel to the airport unless they hold a confirmed reservation.
BusinessTraveller - 21/04/2010 11:53
CITYJET STATEMENT
Tomorrow, Thursday 22 April 2010 all scheduled flights will be operating normally.
Following the announcement from National Air Traffic Service (NATS) that UK and European airspace has reopened, CityJet is working hard to resume its flight schedule.
CityJet will be operating a limited service on Wednesday afternoon, 21 April as follows:
Rotterdam - Hamburg VG257 17.45-19.00
Hamburg – Rotterdam VG258 19.25-20.40
Rotterdam – London City VG289 17.10-17.15, VG293 18.50-18.55
London City – Rotterdam VG294 19.25-21.25
Eindhoven – London City VG267 18.05-18.20
London City – Eindhoven VG268 18.50-21.05
CityJet thanks its passengers for their continued patience. Passengers whose flights have been cancelled due to the disruptions that have occurred will be able to rebook their flight or obtain a refund. For added flexibility, CityJet will not be charging any ticket alteration or cancellation fees until the situation returns to normal.
For up-to-date information on the situation, CityJet advises all customers to consult the website www.cityjet.com.
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