Slovakia’s airspace has now been fully re-opened to commercial air traffic, after being closed for several days because of a huge cloud of ash from an erupting volcano in Iceland which has led to air-transport chaos across Europe. Transport Ministry spokesman Stanislav Jurikovič told the TASR newswire that the situation will continue to be monitored closely.
Slovak airspace was shut on Friday afternoon due to the perceived danger of damage to aircraft from the volcanic ash cloud, which originated from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. Flights were allowed to resume early on Monday – at first in the east and later in the day across the whole country. Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair plans to operate a full schedule as of Thursday, April 22, according to Dana Madunická, spokesperson for M.R. Štefánik Airport in Bratislava, as reported by TASR.
However, Madunická added that the situation continues to be unstable, which may lead to some delays and cancellations. Passengers are therefore advised to seek more detailed information concerning planned flights via airline and airport websites.
A total of 185 flights to and from Bratislava Airport, affecting some 33,200 travellers, have so far been cancelled because of the airspace closure, Madunická said. She did not specify the exact losses for the airport, but said it was clear it had lost tens of thousands of euros for every day during which flights were suspended.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
