Economic conditions will be outlined in a second time

Hundreds of blue sky, without any white aircraft drag: tel is paradoxically dismaying show And this unprecedented situation expected to last at least until Tuesday morning, North of a line Nice-Bordeaux in France, François Fillon announced yesterday. British and German skies should also remain paralyzed Monday during a large part of the day. "Weather conditions suggest that the situation will be difficult for several days and, under these conditions, all airports North of a line Nice-Bordeaux remain closed at least until Tuesday 9 hours", announced the French Prime Minister. "On the other hand, operate the airports in the South of this line and we will take advantage of this situation for re - router a maximum of flights from these airports, which will allow to repatriate as many of our fellow citizens blocked abroad", he continued.

Flight testing yesterday

Since yesterday, the Air France company announced that it would now seven haul out of Toulouse, "If the weather conditions allow" destination of New York, Fort-de-France, Dakar, Saint-Denis-de-La-meeting, Hong Kong, São Paulo and Dubai in the departure of Pau. The passengers from cancelled flights had to be sent as early as last night by car out of Roissy-CDG. Nine long-haul flights were also able to ask yesterday to Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nice and Marseille. Furthermore, Air France and other companies such as KLM and Lufthansa have conducted test flights, yesterday, and detected no anomaly caused by the ash cloud. "If these tests are positive, they will move empty airplanes that are now blocked in the Paris region to position on these platforms and increase our transport capacity", explained François Fillon.

On the fifth day of disarray of air traffic, the pressure is increasingly high on the part of carriers, airports and millions of travelers prevented to travel, to obtain an easing of flight restrictions. Since Thursday, are in fact not less estimated flights cancelled in Europe, with 313 airports closed, which would have affected more than 6.8 million passengers, according to the Association of European airlines, yesterday calling for "an immediate reassessment of measures". Yesterday, the European Commissioner responsible for transport, Siim Kallas, also found that the current situation was "not viable" for the European Union, adding that he hoped that 50 of flights expected in Europe can be delivered today. Signs of impatience in the companies, KLM has estimated yesterday that European airspace was "safe" and was taking off after the civil aviation authority three cargo ships to Asia. In Germany, Lufthansa and Air Berlin have even expressed their impatience to these airport closures decided "on the basis of a computer simulation of the Vulcanic Ash Advisory Center in London", according to the pattern of Air Berlin, Joachim Hunold. "In Germany, there was even no weather balloon to measure if and how much volcanic ash found in the air", he criticized.

If satellite images retired by weather services well locate the cloud, they provide little guidance on its density, as well as on its movements. Hence the interest of the tests, to not be limited to the precautionary principle. Another track explored: the possibility for the aircraft to fly lower than the current air corridors, to remain under the cloud. With however the disadvantage of increasing noise and consumption equipment, and the non-negligible risk of prematurely user engines.

"The priority is to care for passengers in suffering and know how challenging the system, said yesterday the Director General of Air France-KLM Pierre-Henri Gourgeon." This is why Air France will proceed to evaluation flights. Economic conditions will be outlined in a second time. "Party in Shanghai last Thursday for the announcement of the candidacy of China Eastern Alliance SkyTeam, the pattern of Air France-KLM could not return to France last night, on the single flight of Air France from China which landed last night at Marseille, and had to return to the capital by car.