Europe reopens airspace; passenger flights resume

Almost 800 passengers were on board the three flights bound for New York, Shanghai and Dubai.

Running for his flight, a man who had tears in his eyes told a Reuters photographer: "I'm just so happy." Many had been stranded since the ash from Icelandic volcano began spreading across of northern Europe late last week.

"I'm more than ready. I've been here since Thursday, so I'm ready to go," one male passenger told public broadcaster NOS.

Under pressure from airlines losing $250 million a day, the European Union agreed on Monday to reduce the size of the no-fly zone.

"We are taking the lead on this," Dutch Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings told an Amsterdam press conference.

"But from tomorrow there will also be lots of other airports that will start allowing flights." Eurlings said Europe would now be divided into three zones, a flight ban zone, a zone where there was a low amount of ash and a zone where there was no ash.

He said the Netherlands was currently in a zone with a low concentration of ash particles and Dutch flights would resume in daylight and with reduced capacity to ensure safety, but he also warned the airspace could be closed again if ash levels rise; Kazinform cites The Arab News.

See www.arabnews.com . for full version