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Flights resume as air ban eased Flights resume as air ban lifted
(about 2 hours later)
Some flights have been arriving and taking off from Belfast International Airport after restrictions on UK airspace were eased. Some flights have been arriving and taking off from Northern Ireland's two main airports after restrictions on UK airspace were eased on Tuesday evening.
The first set of stranded NI holidaymakers arrived back from Lanzarote on a flight into Belfast late on Tuesday. Many of the airlines are hoping to resume their schedules from 1300 BST on Wednesday but warn it could take days to return to full service.
Flights also began to take off from the airport early on Wednesday. An estimated 120,000 passengers were affected by the closure of NI airspace six days ago.
George Best Belfast City Airport said it expected some services to resume later. The first set of stranded passengers arrived back in NI on Tuesday evening.
At City of Derry airport Aer Arann flights on Wednesday morning have been cancelled, but the airline hopes the evening service to Dublin may operate. Uel Hoey from Belfast International Airport said they expected more flights to take off and land this afternoon.
"This morning it's been largely Easyjet activity. We have had a significant number of flights in and out and we expect activity to ramp up with other airlines during the course of the day."
Katy Best from George Best City Airport said with the exception of Ryanair there was almost a full schedule of flights operating today.
"Flybe have almost all of their schedule operational again, BMI from mid morning have all of their Heathrow flights back operating and Easyjet also. It's just fantastic to see passengers coming through, a few relieved faces, people are delighted to be finally getting on their way."
At the City of Derry airport Aer Arann flights on Wednesday morning were cancelled, but the airline hopes the evening service to Dublin may operate.
The airports are urging people to check with their airline before travelling as it is likely to take days before schedules are back to normal.The airports are urging people to check with their airline before travelling as it is likely to take days before schedules are back to normal.
Ryanair flights between the UK and Ireland will resume at 0500 BST on Friday. Ryanair said its flights between the UK and Ireland will resume at 0500 BST on Friday.
The airline is warning there could be delays and cancellations on its routes as air traffic controllers and airports struggle to cope with the volume of flights in the coming days.The airline is warning there could be delays and cancellations on its routes as air traffic controllers and airports struggle to cope with the volume of flights in the coming days.
An estimated 120,000 passengers have been affected by the closure of Northern Ireland airspace. WEDNESDAY'S FLIGHTS class="" href="http://www.britishairways.com/travel/volcano-update/public/en_gb?refevent=volcano_home_banner">BA: All long haul flights from Heathrow and Gatwick; Short haul cancellations until noon class="" href="http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/passengerinformation/latestnews/index.jsp">Virgin Atlantic: Normal schedule class="" href="http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/alerts/thomsonfly-travel-alert.html">Thomson: Outbound flights cancelled class="" href="http://easyjet.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3917">Easyjet: Intends to operate 90% of flights class="" href="http://www.ryanair.com/en/notices/gops/100414-ICELAND_ASH-GB">Ryanair: No Northern European flights until 1300 BST on Thursday; No UK-Ireland flights until 1300 BST on Friday class="" href="http://www.flybe.com/news/1004/disruption_update.htm">Flybe: Flights from 1300 BST but cancellations expected; 18 morning flights re-scheduled to leave after 1300 BST *Passengers are advised to contact their airline before travelling to an airport for a flight
ANALYSIS By Pallab Ghosh, science correspondent, BBC News
The question the airline industry is asking is why did it take six days for the Civil Aviation Authority to change its policy, and what does it know now that it did not know a week ago.
Part of the problem faced by the regulator is that there is a limited evidence base with which to make an accurate risk assessment.
Such occurrences are rare so the policy seems to have been one of safety first.
But as the flight ban wore on, with increasing numbers of passengers stranded and the cost to the airline industry rising, the CAA was forced to reassess its policy.
It consulted extensively with jet engine manufacturers and gathered new evidence from test flights through the volcanic ash.
This process led the regulator to conclude on Tuesday night that planes would not stall if they flew through low concentrations of the ash, and passengers faced a greater risk by remaining stranded for several days.
George Best Belfast City Airport chief executive Brian Ambrose emphasised it would take time for services to return to normal.
"The London Heathrow services will resume at 1200 BST and then Flybe will be back up running a fairly full programme from 1300 BST onwards," he said.
"By this afternoon we should be back to the kind of numbers we're accustomed to at this time of the year and then we'll be starting to work our way through the backlog."
It is expected there will be limited flight operations from Dublin airport on Wednesday and Shannon airport has confirmed it will be open on Wednesday and Thursday.It is expected there will be limited flight operations from Dublin airport on Wednesday and Shannon airport has confirmed it will be open on Wednesday and Thursday.
Siobhan Moore from Dublin Airport said it would be a "phased return to business".Siobhan Moore from Dublin Airport said it would be a "phased return to business".
"Aer Lingus are planning to run a full schedule from lunchtime on Wednesday, that will include European and UK destinations. Ryanair are not planning to operate until Thursday to Europe and to the UK on Friday," she said."Aer Lingus are planning to run a full schedule from lunchtime on Wednesday, that will include European and UK destinations. Ryanair are not planning to operate until Thursday to Europe and to the UK on Friday," she said.
Risk assessments
"There will have to be a lot of repositioning of aircraft, so it is a big logistical challenge for the airlines to catch up on this.""There will have to be a lot of repositioning of aircraft, so it is a big logistical challenge for the airlines to catch up on this."
There will be limited flight operations from Dublin and Cork airports on Wednesday and Shannon Airport has confirmed it is to remain open.
However, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) has warned that it may take up to three days for full services to resume.
The IAA emphasised that the lifting of restrictions is subject to the ash cloud not moving over Ireland and no further aggressive activity from the volcano in Iceland.
It said: "The IAA continuously monitors the situation and will issue a statement if the exclusion zone threatens Irish airspace today or in the days to come."
Risk assessments
The flight restrictions were introduced following the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland which sent a plume of ash into the atmosphere.The flight restrictions were introduced following the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland which sent a plume of ash into the atmosphere.
Experts say the tiny particles of rock, glass and sand contained in the ash cloud could jam aircraft engines, as has happened in previous incidents of planes flying into plumes of volcanic ash.Experts say the tiny particles of rock, glass and sand contained in the ash cloud could jam aircraft engines, as has happened in previous incidents of planes flying into plumes of volcanic ash.
class="" href="/2/hi/europe/8634046.stm">Live: Volcanic ash cloud class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/8633892.stm">UK airports reopen class="" href="/2/hi/science/nature/8631396.stm">Volcano 'not in the big league' class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/8627253.stm">Q&A: Volcanic ash cloud class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/haveyoursay/2010/04/would_you_fly.html">Have your say class="" href="/2/hi/in_pictures/8634150.stm">In pictures: Home at last ANALYSIS By Pallab Ghosh, science correspondent, BBC News
On Tuesday night the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced new guidelines relating to planes flying in ash. The question the airline industry is asking is why did it take six days for the Civil Aviation Authority to change its policy, and what does it know now that it did not know a week ago.
The CAA said safety tests showed plane engines had "increased tolerance levels in low ash density areas". Part of the problem faced by the regulator is that there is a limited evidence base with which to make an accurate risk assessment.
It has set down requirements for airlines such as conducting risk assessments and inspecting aircraft for ash damage before and after each flight. Such occurrences are rare so the policy seems to have been one of safety first.
It added that some no-fly-zones with a higher density of volcanic ash would remain. But as the flight ban wore on, with increasing numbers of passengers stranded and the cost to the airline industry rising, the CAA was forced to reassess its policy.
Transport Secretary Lord Adonis denied the UK authorities had been slow to get planes flying again, saying the ban was lifted after a "robust safety assessment" based on observational data and test flights. It consulted extensively with jet engine manufacturers and gathered new evidence from test flights through the volcanic ash.
But shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said Labour's "misjudgement and mismanagement" had "badly let down" the travelling public. This process led the regulator to conclude on Tuesday night that planes would not stall if they flew through low concentrations of the ash.
Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrats' transport spokesman, called for an inquiry but said the government was not responsible for a volcano in Iceland. The International Air Transport Association estimated airlines had lost about $1.7bn (£1.1bn) as a result of the travel disruption. Easyjet put its expense at £50m.
Thousands of passengers have been stranded with planes grounded across Europe as a result of the ash cloud. The restrictions were lifted after the Civil Aviation Authority said safety tests showed plane engines had "increased tolerance levels in low ash density areas".
More than 6.8m passengers have been affected so far and 95,000 flights have been cancelled since Thursday. It has set down new requirements for airlines such as conducting risk assessments and inspecting aircraft for ash damage before and after each flight.
The decision to close UK airspace and the government's response to the ensuing chaos has sparked a political row.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown defended the time taken to reopen UK airspace, saying decisions had been based on "scientific advice".
"We would never be forgiven if we had let planes fly and there was a real danger to people's lives," he said.
Transport Secretary Lord Adonis said the ban was lifted after a "robust safety assessment" based on observational data and test flights.
"The whole of Europe has been in the same position, acting according to the same aviation safety rules," he said. "European safety regulators have been working to properly understand the impact of the ash cloud which has come from Iceland."
Lord Adonis denied the decision to reopen the airspace was the result of pressure from the airline industry.
About 75% of European flights are due to operate on Wednesday, according to the air traffic agency Eurocontrol.
Frances Tuke, spokeswoman for travel body Abta, said the return to normality would be slow and there was also a risk the ash cloud could return.
"The thing to remember is that aircraft and crew are going to be in the wrong place," she said.
"I know for example that some of our tour operators have decided to cancel their programmes going out of the UK in order to reposition their aircraft and crew. It's a huge logistical operation."