Hungarian airspace opened for all flights

2010-04-19 12:52:58

Hungarian airspace has been opened at noon on Monday, local air navigation services Hungarocontrol has announced on Monday. Earlier in the day it has cleared only overflight traffic above 7,500 metres (24,000 feet). With no flight restrictions in effect the Ferihegy Airport is also open for the air traffic.

Hungarian air traffic authorities implemented no-fly regulations at 7 PM on Friday over plume from a volcanic eruption in Iceland crippling Europe’s air traffic. The airspace closure was extended several times, finally to 12:00 on Monday.

Hungary’s national carrier said there would be no Malév flights until 3 PM today.

Some 700 flights have been cancelled at Ferihegy International Airport since late Thursday. The entire Malév fleet is grounded at the airport, along with aircraft of British Airways, Lufthansa and Alitalia (one Airbus each).

Among the cancelled flights there were 150 Malév flights that left nearly 25,000 passengers stranded abroad, causing the carrier several million forints in lost revenues per flight.