MALEV Hungarian Airlines wins the Best Airline Eastern Europe award at the 2010 World Airline Awards
20 May 2010
MALEV Hungarian Airlines was named the winner of the Best Airline Eastern Europe Award at the 2010 World Airline Awards, that took place in Hamburg.
http://www.malev.com
Asiana Airlines named Airline of the Year 2010 at the 2010 World Airline Awards.
http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards-2010/easteurope.htm
Tags: Malév, airline, skytrax, Budapest Airport, Kovacs Attila Mate, Budapest, Hungary
MALEV Hungarian Airlines was named the winner of the Best Airline Eastern Europe Award at the 2010 World Airline Awards, that took place in Hamburg.
http://www.malev.com
Asiana Airlines named Airline of the Year 2010 at the 2010 World Airline Awards.
http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards-2010/easteurope.htm
Tags: Malév, airline, skytrax, Budapest Airport, Kovacs Attila Mate, Budapest, Hungary
Volcanic Ash Grounds 1,000 European Flights
Volcanic ash from Iceland caused widespread disruption at airports in Britain and other parts of northern Europe on Monday, grounding 1,000 flights and delaying hundreds of thousands of passengers, aviation officials said.
AP Smoke and ash rises from volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland
Eurocontrol, the European air traffic agency, said Britain and the Netherland were the worst affected areas, although it expected the situation to improve later on Monday.
"During the course of the day, the current cloud is expected to disperse," the agency said in a statement. "Delays will also be experienced by flights due to congestion in airspace adjacent to closed areas."
The volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland has been erupting for weeks and the ash plume has reached heights of 25,000 feet (7,600 meters).
Volcanic ash contains tiny particles of glass and pulverized rock that can damage engines and airframes.
In 1982 a British Airways' jumbo jet lost power in all its engines when it flew into an ash cloud over Indonesia, gliding towards the ground before it was able to restart its engines.
Britain's two biggest airports reopened after overnight closures, but passengers were warned to expect long delays and cancellations through the day.
Airports in Ireland and the Netherlands were also closed over fears that the drifting ash could damage jet engines and bring down aircraft.
The same Icelandic volcano's ash last month prompted a number of European countries to close their airspaces for nearly a week and travel chaos ensued in Europe and beyond.
British Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said aviation officials and aircraft makers were considering whether to allow planes to fly through higher densities of ash.
Flight Cancellations
A spokesman for Europe's busiest airport Heathrow, in west London, said it had reopened at 0600 GMT, although delays and cancellations are expected.
Gatwick, London's second biggest airport, will remain closed to flight arrivals until 1200 GMT.
Nearly 150 arrivals and departures will be cancelled on Monday morning, about half the scheduled total.
British flights face further disruption on Tuesday when British Airways cabin crew are due to strike in a long-running dispute over pay and working practices.
Their union and BA managers were holding last-minute talks in London to avert the strike.
In Ireland, aviation officials said Dublin airport would reopen at 1100 GMT and the conditions looked likely to improve.
"The prospects for the next number of days are very good, we don't anticipate any problems with volcanic ash over the next two to three days," Irish Aviation Authority Chief Executive Eamonn Brennan told national broadcaster RTE's radio news.
In the Netherlands, Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and Rotterdam Airport said there would be no flights from 0400 GMT until 1200 GMT or until further notice.
Officials advised passengers to stay away from airports and to contact their airlines instead.
KLM, part of Franco-Dutch airline Air France, said it diverted Amsterdam-bound flights already in the air to Paris, Dusseldorf, Maastricht and Frankfurt, with plans to transfer all of those passengers back to Amsterdam by bus.
At least three U.S.-bound flights were also cancelled. Air traffic control authorities in the Netherlands were not immediately available to say when a decision would be made about a reopening or an extension of the closure of Dutch airspace.
Amsterdam Schiphol is Europe's third-largest cargo airport and fifth-largest passenger hub.
More than 100,000 flights were cancelled across Europe last month because of the volcanic ash forming a cloud over the continent.
Millions of people were stranded and airlines, already battered by the global economic downturn, lost $1.7 billion, the International Air Transport Association has said.
Channel Tunnel rail operator Eurostar said an extra 3,500 seats would be available for passengers.
AP Smoke and ash rises from volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland
Eurocontrol, the European air traffic agency, said Britain and the Netherland were the worst affected areas, although it expected the situation to improve later on Monday.
"During the course of the day, the current cloud is expected to disperse," the agency said in a statement. "Delays will also be experienced by flights due to congestion in airspace adjacent to closed areas."
The volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier in Iceland has been erupting for weeks and the ash plume has reached heights of 25,000 feet (7,600 meters).
Volcanic ash contains tiny particles of glass and pulverized rock that can damage engines and airframes.
In 1982 a British Airways' jumbo jet lost power in all its engines when it flew into an ash cloud over Indonesia, gliding towards the ground before it was able to restart its engines.
Britain's two biggest airports reopened after overnight closures, but passengers were warned to expect long delays and cancellations through the day.
Airports in Ireland and the Netherlands were also closed over fears that the drifting ash could damage jet engines and bring down aircraft.
The same Icelandic volcano's ash last month prompted a number of European countries to close their airspaces for nearly a week and travel chaos ensued in Europe and beyond.
British Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said aviation officials and aircraft makers were considering whether to allow planes to fly through higher densities of ash.
Flight Cancellations
A spokesman for Europe's busiest airport Heathrow, in west London, said it had reopened at 0600 GMT, although delays and cancellations are expected.
Gatwick, London's second biggest airport, will remain closed to flight arrivals until 1200 GMT.
Nearly 150 arrivals and departures will be cancelled on Monday morning, about half the scheduled total.
British flights face further disruption on Tuesday when British Airways cabin crew are due to strike in a long-running dispute over pay and working practices.
Their union and BA managers were holding last-minute talks in London to avert the strike.
In Ireland, aviation officials said Dublin airport would reopen at 1100 GMT and the conditions looked likely to improve.
"The prospects for the next number of days are very good, we don't anticipate any problems with volcanic ash over the next two to three days," Irish Aviation Authority Chief Executive Eamonn Brennan told national broadcaster RTE's radio news.
In the Netherlands, Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and Rotterdam Airport said there would be no flights from 0400 GMT until 1200 GMT or until further notice.
Officials advised passengers to stay away from airports and to contact their airlines instead.
KLM, part of Franco-Dutch airline Air France, said it diverted Amsterdam-bound flights already in the air to Paris, Dusseldorf, Maastricht and Frankfurt, with plans to transfer all of those passengers back to Amsterdam by bus.
At least three U.S.-bound flights were also cancelled. Air traffic control authorities in the Netherlands were not immediately available to say when a decision would be made about a reopening or an extension of the closure of Dutch airspace.
Amsterdam Schiphol is Europe's third-largest cargo airport and fifth-largest passenger hub.
More than 100,000 flights were cancelled across Europe last month because of the volcanic ash forming a cloud over the continent.
Millions of people were stranded and airlines, already battered by the global economic downturn, lost $1.7 billion, the International Air Transport Association has said.
Channel Tunnel rail operator Eurostar said an extra 3,500 seats would be available for passengers.
Three-quarters of European airspace open Tuesday: Eurocontrol
20 April, 2010
Almost three-quarters of European airspace was open late Tuesday but less than half of scheduled flights were set to take place, the body coordinating air traffic control across the continent said.
"Almost 75 percent of the total continent area is free of any restrictions," Eurocontrol said.
Air traffic control services were not being provided for lower airspace in Britain, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia and Sweden.
All airspace above 20,000 feet (6,096 metres) altitude was open for flights except in the skies over Finland, the statement said.
Eurocontrol added that it "expects 13,000 flights to take place today in European airspace. On a normal Tuesday, we would expect 28,000."
Almost three-quarters of European airspace was open late Tuesday but less than half of scheduled flights were set to take place, the body coordinating air traffic control across the continent said.
"Almost 75 percent of the total continent area is free of any restrictions," Eurocontrol said.
Air traffic control services were not being provided for lower airspace in Britain, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia and Sweden.
All airspace above 20,000 feet (6,096 metres) altitude was open for flights except in the skies over Finland, the statement said.
Eurocontrol added that it "expects 13,000 flights to take place today in European airspace. On a normal Tuesday, we would expect 28,000."
European Airspace Opening Gradually
16 April, 2010
Airlines in Europe flew just 5,000 of their 24,000 scheduled flights on Sunday, Eurocontrol, the Euoprean air navigation and safety organizations, said.
The agency said Monday that through the night, air space over much of Europe remained closed. It said that by the end of Sunday more than 63,000 flights had been canceled since April 15.
Here’s an A-Z list of European nations, with their latest airspace status. This post will be updated throughout the day with the latest information.
Austria: Authorities have reopened the country’s airspace. Permission to resume takeoffs and landings took effect at 0300 GMT Monday (11 p.m. EDT Tuesday), but unclear if airspace will remain open all day. Many flights remain canceled.
Belgium: Airspace remains closed until at least 1800 GMT (2 p.m. EDT) Monday.
Bulgaria: High-level airspace has reopened. Airports in Sofia, the capital, and the southern city of Plovdiv were temporarily reopened Sunday afternoon, but flights to all European destinations except Cyprus, Greece and Moscow remained cancelled.
Croatia: The country’s airspace reopened mid-Sunday, except at the small Osijek airport in the east. Flights from Split and Dubronvik to Madrid and Rome are back on, as are domestic flights.
Denmark: The upper part of Danish airspace above 35,000 feet has been reopened, meaning long-haul flights can fly high above Denmark, but there is no landing in Denmark. Airspace under 35,000 feet remains closed until 0000 GMT Tuesday (8 p.m. EDT Monday).
Czech Republic: Czech airspace reopened 2200 GMT (6 p.m. EDT) Sunday for flights above 7,450 meters but all airports closed until Monday 1000 GMT (6 a.m. EDT).
Finland: Tampere and Turku airports opened but main airport in Helsinki remains closed.
France: Airports in Paris and most of France will remain closed until Tuesday morning. Air France is deciding whether to run more test flights or to relocate planes from Paris, to cities on France’s southern edge, where the ash is less dense and airports are still open.
Germany: German airspace to remain closed to flights until 1800 GMT (2 p.m. EDT) Monday.
Hungary: Airspace opened by 11:00 GMT.
Iceland: Flights to UK and mainland Europe suspended indefinitely; flights to U.S. operating normally.
Ireland: All airspace closed until at least 1700 GMT (Midday EDT) Monday. Ryanair has extended its cancellations on most European flights until at least 1200 GMT Wednesday (7 a.m. EDT).
Italy: Airspace in northern Italy closed until 0700 GMT (3 a.m. EDT) Tuesday.
The Netherlands: Netherlands airspace closed until further notice and at least 1200 GMT (8 a.m. EDT).
Norway: Authorities have lifted air travel restrictions in most parts of central and northern Norway down to Bergen. Airspace in the far north and south, including the capital, remain closed. mostly domestic flights to resume at Oslo’s Gardermoen airport.
Poland: Airspace closed Sunday. Flights permitted above 20,000 feet (6,100 meters).
Spain: Reopened all its airports at 1330 GMT Sunday (10:30 a.m. EDT).
Sweden: Airspace restriction lifted over large part of country. Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport has reopened for limited air traffic, though most flights were still canceled. Airspace in southern Sweden, below Stockholm, remains closed. The SAS airline said it would operate 21 flights in Swedish airspace during the day.
Switzerland: Airspace closed until at least 1200 GMT (8 a.m. EDT) Monday. Planes using instruments can fly across Switzerland as long as they stay above 36,000 feet (11,000 meters).
Slovakia: Airspace closed until at least Sunday evening.
Russia: Russian airlines are canceling flights to various points in Europe, but Russian airspace remains open.
Turkey: Black Sea cities of Zonguldak, Sinop and Samsun closed until 0900 GMT (5 a.m. EDT) Monday. Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey’s main airport, could be affected Monday.
Romania: Airports in the western Romanian cities of Timisoara and Arad reopened at 0600 GMT (2 a.m. EDT), and the two airports in the capital Bucharest in southeast Romania will reopen at 1200 GMT (8 a.m. EDT).
Serbia and Montenegro: Air space and all airports reopened.
U.K.: All airspace closed until at least 0100 GMT Tuesday (9 p.m. EDT Tuesday).
Airlines in Europe flew just 5,000 of their 24,000 scheduled flights on Sunday, Eurocontrol, the Euoprean air navigation and safety organizations, said.
The agency said Monday that through the night, air space over much of Europe remained closed. It said that by the end of Sunday more than 63,000 flights had been canceled since April 15.
Here’s an A-Z list of European nations, with their latest airspace status. This post will be updated throughout the day with the latest information.
Austria: Authorities have reopened the country’s airspace. Permission to resume takeoffs and landings took effect at 0300 GMT Monday (11 p.m. EDT Tuesday), but unclear if airspace will remain open all day. Many flights remain canceled.
Belgium: Airspace remains closed until at least 1800 GMT (2 p.m. EDT) Monday.
Bulgaria: High-level airspace has reopened. Airports in Sofia, the capital, and the southern city of Plovdiv were temporarily reopened Sunday afternoon, but flights to all European destinations except Cyprus, Greece and Moscow remained cancelled.
Croatia: The country’s airspace reopened mid-Sunday, except at the small Osijek airport in the east. Flights from Split and Dubronvik to Madrid and Rome are back on, as are domestic flights.
Denmark: The upper part of Danish airspace above 35,000 feet has been reopened, meaning long-haul flights can fly high above Denmark, but there is no landing in Denmark. Airspace under 35,000 feet remains closed until 0000 GMT Tuesday (8 p.m. EDT Monday).
Czech Republic: Czech airspace reopened 2200 GMT (6 p.m. EDT) Sunday for flights above 7,450 meters but all airports closed until Monday 1000 GMT (6 a.m. EDT).
Finland: Tampere and Turku airports opened but main airport in Helsinki remains closed.
France: Airports in Paris and most of France will remain closed until Tuesday morning. Air France is deciding whether to run more test flights or to relocate planes from Paris, to cities on France’s southern edge, where the ash is less dense and airports are still open.
Germany: German airspace to remain closed to flights until 1800 GMT (2 p.m. EDT) Monday.
Hungary: Airspace opened by 11:00 GMT.
Iceland: Flights to UK and mainland Europe suspended indefinitely; flights to U.S. operating normally.
Ireland: All airspace closed until at least 1700 GMT (Midday EDT) Monday. Ryanair has extended its cancellations on most European flights until at least 1200 GMT Wednesday (7 a.m. EDT).
Italy: Airspace in northern Italy closed until 0700 GMT (3 a.m. EDT) Tuesday.
The Netherlands: Netherlands airspace closed until further notice and at least 1200 GMT (8 a.m. EDT).
Norway: Authorities have lifted air travel restrictions in most parts of central and northern Norway down to Bergen. Airspace in the far north and south, including the capital, remain closed. mostly domestic flights to resume at Oslo’s Gardermoen airport.
Poland: Airspace closed Sunday. Flights permitted above 20,000 feet (6,100 meters).
Spain: Reopened all its airports at 1330 GMT Sunday (10:30 a.m. EDT).
Sweden: Airspace restriction lifted over large part of country. Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport has reopened for limited air traffic, though most flights were still canceled. Airspace in southern Sweden, below Stockholm, remains closed. The SAS airline said it would operate 21 flights in Swedish airspace during the day.
Switzerland: Airspace closed until at least 1200 GMT (8 a.m. EDT) Monday. Planes using instruments can fly across Switzerland as long as they stay above 36,000 feet (11,000 meters).
Slovakia: Airspace closed until at least Sunday evening.
Russia: Russian airlines are canceling flights to various points in Europe, but Russian airspace remains open.
Turkey: Black Sea cities of Zonguldak, Sinop and Samsun closed until 0900 GMT (5 a.m. EDT) Monday. Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey’s main airport, could be affected Monday.
Romania: Airports in the western Romanian cities of Timisoara and Arad reopened at 0600 GMT (2 a.m. EDT), and the two airports in the capital Bucharest in southeast Romania will reopen at 1200 GMT (8 a.m. EDT).
Serbia and Montenegro: Air space and all airports reopened.
U.K.: All airspace closed until at least 0100 GMT Tuesday (9 p.m. EDT Tuesday).
