BA: ash cloud flight ban 'unnecessary'
Updated on 19 April 2010
British Airways says it will aim to resume flights from London Airports at 7pm tomorrow, after reporting no faults to a plane which had been sent to test flying conditions in the volcanic ash cloud.
British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh had earlier said the decision to ground flights in the UK was "unnecessary" and had called on officials let airlines assess the potential safety risks.
The airline had flown a Boeing 747 from London to Cardiff yesterday to carry out a test flight of conditions in the air above Britain.
The plane took off from Heathrow Airport at 5.55pm yesterday before flying 550 miles due west of Cardiff, landing at Cardiff Airport at 8.41pm. The flight, which took the aircraft out over the Atlantic Ocean, lasted two hours and 46 minutes.
The plane, which carried the airline's chief executive, completed a flight in "perfect" conditions without encountering and difficulties, BA said.
Advice for travellers
The Foreign Office has launched a special advice line for callers in the UK concerned about relatives stranded overseas. The number is 020 7008 0000.
The flight was among a handful of tests taken by some European airlines in a bid to get the travel industry moving.
BA, which recently had flights disrupted by a walkout of its cabin crew staff, said it was losing around £15-20m a day due to the ash cloud. Budget airline Easyjet is also currently losing up to £5m a day.
BA said a full technical review of the plane performance had determined that is suffered "no deterioration" during the flight.
Speaking before the airline announced it would aim to resume flights tomorrow, Mr Walsh said: "The analysis we have done so far, alongside that from other airlines' trial flights, provides fresh evidence that the current blanket restrictions on airspace are unnecessary.
"We believe airlines are best positioned to assess all available information and determine what, if any, risk exists to aircraft, crew and passengers.
"Since airspace was closed on Thursday our assessment is that the risk has been minimal and can be managed by alternative procedures to maintain the highest safest standards.
"We call on the government urgently to adopt new policies that would allow us to resume flying. Safety is the overriding priority for an airline. We use our expertise in risk assessment across a wide range of safety issues to make decisions on the safe operation of flights every day.
"We believe that we should be allowed to take the same responsibility over safety issues over the recent volcanic eruptions in Iceland."
