Several major northern European airports re-opened for flights this morning, including Frankfurt and Amsterdam Schiphol, although the continent-wide picture remains patchy, despite a decision yesterday to harmonise restrictions.

 

During a telephone conference held yesterday between Eurocontrol, the European organisation for the safety of air travel, the EC, several European states, air navigation service providers and technical experts, it was agreed to move towards a harmonised approach that permitted flights where safety was not compromised.

 

A statement issued by Eurocontrol at noon today said: "In the upper airspace, above 20,000 feet, all European airspace is available.

 

"At the current time, air traffic control services are not being provided to civil aircraft in the lower airspace, primarily over north-western Europe, including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, northern France, northern Italy, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine and the UK." Airports in those countries, therefore, largely remained closed.

 

It said 50% of the flights scheduled to take place today in Europe would go ahead, through airspace over more than 75% of the continent - an area including Austria, the Balkan states, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, Spain, parts of Italy and France, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Romania, northern Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey."

 

EU transport ministers proposed to divide Europe's airspace into three zones, based on ash concentrations in the atmosphere: no-fly, limited-service and open-skies.

 

Decisions on whether to open airspace in the limited-service zone would be made by individual states.

 

UK air traffic control body Nats said that part of Scottish airspace, including Aberdeen, Inverness and Edinburgh airports would continue to be available from 10in today, and also Newcastle Airport.

 

Restrictions will remain in place over the rest of the UK's airspace below 20,000ft.

 

IFW understands that Amsterdam Schiphol Airport is operating at around 60% of capacity today, with Frankfurt Airport operating today at around 20% of its capacity, with a number of freighter flights taking off this morning.

 

TNT said it hoped to resume flights in and out of its main European hub at Liege this evening, and said it flew some aircraft in southern Europe to move shipments from Cyprus and Greece to Italy.

 

According to Eurocontrol's latest update, Belgian airports are operating at 50% of capacity, while flights are taking place in southern and central Europe, including the Czech Republic, the Balkans, Bulgaria, Hungary, southern Italy and France, Greece, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey, as well as parts of northern Europe (Norway and parts of Sweden).