Half of normal flights may run Monday by Magdalena Rosova

The Spanish EU presidency claimed on Sunday that 50 percent of European flights should be restarted on Monday. The canceled flight due to clouds of ash from a volcano in Iceland caused massive travel disruptions all over Europe. Diego Lopez Garrido, Spanish secretary of state for EU affairs, said that half of the flights would be operating on Monday. There are thousands of people stuck at the airports and so it will be uneasy task which needs good coordination. The situation was not sustainable, said EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas after meeting of European aviation agency Eurocontrol, where European authorities discussed the effective and save solution for the cu! rrent situation. Siim Kallas said that it was impossible to wait until the ash flows simply disappear. There will be technical meeting of EU transport ministers on Monday, where information from Sunday's test flights in European countries will be assessed. The huge ash cloud moved more south and east on Sunday. European air traffic is being paralyzed for a fourth day and millions of passengers over the world are having troubles. It is the biggest airspace shutdown since World War II. Positive news is that Saturday's test flights by two airline companies, Dutch KLM and Germany's Lufthansa, did not find any damage caused by the volcanic ash. KLM's airplane flew about 10 kilometers over the Netherlands and there was no damage evident. If the further test flights are successful, the airline can get the permission to restart its operations. Lufthansa flew several planes on route Frankfurt – Munich. Inspection on airplanes did not find any damage or impact on the! engines. Air France conducted successful flights from Paris! to Toul ouse as well. Volcanic ash has an abrasive effect and there is risk that it can strip off vital aerodynamic surfaces of aircraft and paralyze its engine. Avionics and electronics can be also damaged.

related story (sgx17026): http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/national_worl...

by Magdalena Rosova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

Cantell TV is the fastest growing provider of digital broadcasting coupled with telecommunications, allowing people to easily control, view, upload and share digital content through proprietary interface coupled with free phone calls. Cantell TV is committed to delivering infinite choices to your world ! of entertainment at the tip of your fingers.