Airlines defy volcano with test flights through the ash

Most aeroplanes remained grounded yesterday because of ash from volcano Eyjafjallajokull, with most airlines, including those operating in Romania announcing they were carrying out test flights.

Companies operating in Romania, however, announced they would resume flights to destinations in Southern Europe, less affected by the volcanic ash cloud, after the Romanian Government had announced the Romanian airspace would be opened after 3 PM.

All eyes were on Iceland yesterday, the place where the first good news came from: The “E volcano”, as the press called it because of its impossible pronunciation, shows signs of having relented, and that the enormous smoke cloud would dissipate, with the financial hemorrhage caused by the losses incurred by airlines, airports, and connected industries to diminish as a result.

According to ZF calculations, Romanian airports lost over 1.5 million euros since last Saturday, with Otopeni and Baneasa airports losing an overall 1 million euros because of the volcano.