SA passengers told to check on flights

2010-04-16 10:16

Hlengiwe Mnguni, News24

Cape Town - South Africans flying to northern European destinations might have to wait longer for flights to get back on schedule airlines have indicated, after a massive cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland closed down airspace in parts of Europe.

"Following further information from National Air Traffic Services (Nats) about the path of the volcanic ash affecting all UK airspace and airlines, there will be cancellations and delays to our schedule on Friday April 16," said British Airways (BA).

The airline said it would keep its flying schedule under constant review and "will aim to give customers as much notice as possible once we receive more information from Nats". It also advised customers to go to BA's website for their flight details before departing for the airport.

Those whose flights had been cancelled could claim a full refund or rebook their flight for a later date, BA said.

According to the company all its flights into and out of Heathrow, Gatwick and London City airports will be cancelled until at least 01:00 on Saturday.

A number of flights to and from Europe were cancelled on Thursday including two BA flights from London to South Africa and two from South Africa to London, two SAA flights to London and two flying to South Africa from London. A Netherlands-bound KLM flight from Cape Town was also grounded.

Virgin Atlantic's Caren Parkin said the airline had also been affected.

"We've had to cancel a number of flights," Parkin told News24. She said four flights to London had been affected since Thursday night.

She was unable to say whether any more would be affected but said the airline was "reviewing the situation every hour".

"At this stage it will be difficult to say. Nobody really knows."

She said passengers had the option of requesting a refund or waiting for flights to resume. These options are available at www.virgin-atlantic.com, she said.

Cape Town Acsa spokesperson Deidre Hendriks told News24 they were also monitoring the situation as it unfolded. She also emphasised that people whose travel plans might be affected should contact their respective airlines for updates.

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