UAE carriers prepare to fly stranded travellers

Dubai: Flights to Europe, still under a cloud of volcanic ash, resumed last night after German carrier Lufthansa was granted special permission for 50 long-haul flights.

The airline said it would begin with homeward bound flights, including those from North America, followed by outbound and internal flights, it said on its website.

Dubai-based Emirates airline said it will resume operations to Europe with "a wave" of flights, as airspace opens up.

Emirates and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad said they will fast-track transit passengers' schedule to clear backlog once flights resume to major European cities. Grounded flights potentially cost the global airline industry $1 billion in losses over five days. Some 750,000 passengers are stranded across the world.

Anger over closure

European airlines voiced their anger over the continued closure of airports. They urged governments to open airspace after several test flights by carriers KLM and Lufthansa were successfully conducted.

Government officials met yesterday and decided to gradually open up airspace last night. British airports are expected to open today.

Lufthansa spokesman Jan Baerwald said the planes, scattered around the world, would start getting ready "right now." The first flights will be from the Far East, with others following from Africa and North America, reported Associated Press. Air space in France would also open up from 6am GMT.

Sweden, Romania, Croatia and the Czech Republic also announced the resumption of flights.