Podcast
Skies open but schedules go awry
Updated: 2010-04-22 13:18
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Europe's skies were open for business on Wednesday. But with so many planes having been grounded by the pall of volcanic ash spreading from Iceland, it could take days or even weeks to clear the backlog.
About 75 percent of flights in Europe were operating on Wednesday, the European air traffic agency Eurocontrol said.
Flights resumed after scientists and manufacturers downgraded the risk of flying in areas of relatively low ash concentrations, Britain's Civil Aviation Authority said.
Authorities say they believe flight activity will be back to normal by this weekend. But one British Airways officials said it could take weeks to resume normal operations.
With aircraft having flown successful test flights for several days, recriminations have started about why governments took as long as they did to give the green light to the airline industry. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the industry lost some $1.7 billion in revenues.
Meanwhile, the volcano under Iceland’s glacier was still erupting, but producing much less ash, officials said.
（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Renee Haines is an editor and broadcaster at China Daily. Renee has more than 15 years of experience as a newspaper editor, radio station anchor and news director, news-wire service reporter and bureau chief, magazine writer, book editor and website consultant. She came to China from the United States.
