Asiana resumes flights to Europe

Asiana resumes flights to Europe

Asiana Airlines, the country’s second-largest air carrier, resumed flights to Europe yesterday after most European airspace was reopened, easing five days of flight chaos caused by the volcanic ash cloud pouring out of Iceland.


Asiana resumed operations to Europe starting with a cargo flight leaving for Vienna at 20:15 p.m. The carrier will also restart operations of its passenger flights to Frankfurt and Paris today as aviation authorities cleared the ban on air travel in most of Europe. However, flights to London are still under consideration as the United Kingdom is still affected by volcanic ash, the air carrier said in a statement.

Korean Air, the country’s biggest air carrier, meanwhile, said it was still considering reopening European routes, citing safety concerns.

Earlier in the day, the government, air carriers and exporters held an emergency meeting to minimize loss from the volcanic flight chaos. The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said it would support air carriers operating special flights to Europe by sending official letters to request countries allow Korean flights to use their airspace, officials said.

Participants included officials from the nation’s two major air carriers, airport operators and major exporters currently having trouble sending products to Europe.

The measures come as many exporters fear that the ongoing disruption may hurt business.

“The meeting was held to reflect ideas from exporters, particularly those in the IT industry, who may suffer huge losses if the disruption continues,” an official at the ministry said.

According to data by the Transport Ministry, 38 passenger flights and 32 cargo flights scheduled to and from Europe have been canceled since Friday. An estimated 2,000 tons of goods to be shipped by air were held up, and 30,000 passengers were stranded, they said.