Dubai: Emirates airline on Tuesday flew to several European destinations taking 1,661 passengers as airspace reopened, and many Lufthansa flights left for Germany as well, flying under visual flight rules (VFR).
German authorities have allowed only VFR flights to enter their airspace. Under VFR, Lufthansa planned to operate all its long-haul flights yesterday.
Tim Clark, president of Emirates, yesterday said that the airline did not have the licence to operate under VFR and the process to obtain it could take a few months. "That is not on the cards at the moment," he said.
Emirates has about 35,000 passengers stranded in Europe, another 3,800 passengers and 2,000 tonnes of cargo stuck in Dubai, Clark said. Later, Emirates cancelled 30 flights to northern Europe after volcanic activity resumed in Iceland.
Etihad Airways resumed flights to Minsk, and it is awaiting permission from authorities in Europe to open more routes.
Dubai Airports said it has activated contingency plans and deployed extra staff to support additional flights to European destinations when airspace openings are confirmed.
Meanwhile, the travel disruptions have forced six of the 10 teams in the Twenty20 World Cup cricket tournament to assemble in Dubai on Monday before flying to the West Indies on Emirates flights.
