Volcanic ash continues to cloud the air cargo traffic horizon.
Eurocontrol said that 28,500 flights took off in Europe on May 10, which is 500 below the average for a Monday this time of year, reported International Freighting Weekly (IFW) in London.
Cargolux, Europe’s biggest cargo airline, suffered a shutdown of its main Luxembourg hub, but later reopened.
"We have had delays, but nothing too significant," said company Vice-President, Mr Robert van de Weg. Cargo airlines are watching the situation very closely, because there is a big, dark cloud over the Atlantic, and if the wind comes in from the west, there would be more challenges. "According to the forecasts, during the afternoon, areas of higher ash concentration could move in a north-easterly direction over the Iberian peninsula," a statement said.
Said Mr Van de Weg, "Demand is very strong, but it was strong before the European airspace closures, so it is hard to know now whether the high demand is still related to the closures."
A report in the UK said that despite the volcanic disruption, cargo tonnage in April was up by 6.2 per cent when compared to April 2009 and this reflected the underlying strength of the air cargo business.
Source: Exim News Service, Brussels, 17 May 2010