英伦广角 2010-04-21 英飞机场重新运行

After 6 long and unprecedented 1 days, Britain's airports have reopened. There remain no-fly zones, but safe flight paths around lingering ash cloud will be identified on a daily basis. And the body that regulates airlines has put in place special rules.

The CAA's revised airspace guidance requires airlines first to conduct their own risk assessments 2 and develop operational procedures to address any remaining risks. Secondly 3, put in place an intensive maintenance ash damage inspection 4 before and after each flight. And thirdly, report any ash-related incidents to reporting scheme run by the CAA.

British Airways 5, which called the flight ban unnecessary after staging its own test 2 days ago with Willey Wash on board, has been losing 20 million pounds a day and is delighted by this new development.

I don't believe that it was necessary to impose a blanket ban on all UK airspace last Thursday. My personal belief there is that we could have safely continued operation for a period of time. I think there were occasions when the decision to close airspace could have been justified 6. But as I said, you know, that's a personal view. We'll sit down in due course somebody share the data that we have. And we'll share the learnings that we have had over this period. And I'm sure there would be others who would put forward a different view to me.

Meanwhile, a transport secretary was keen to stress that caution is not being thrown to the wind, that constant monitoring of the ash cloud and its potential for danger will continue.

"There will still be no-fly zones. The Met Office and the Civil Aviation Authority advised me that on the basis of the current presence of the ash cloud, those no-fly zones would not affect any UK airports. But day by day, announcements will be made in respects of those no-fly zones."

It was the day Britain was supposed to fly again better late than never. Only a lucky few like those aboard this flight from Edinburgh to Stornoway managed to get into the air.

"But we're nervous flying anyway. But up there,it's only 45 minutes late from here to Stornoway. I think I should survive."

These students have flown back into Edinburgh from Iceland and their geography field trip has turned out in the shadow of an erupting volcano.

"We're back home on peace. We're now going 10-hour coach journey down south to just local London, So we're not at home yet, but we are on the way."

"It's flying 10 kilometers from the volcano in poor planes. And yet... you know, all the way back in England, people won't even know we escape from across France and thinks of that as mad. "

It's clear that those in the package holiday industry would have liked to action more quickly.

"We would've liked governments from around Europe to get around the table a little bit more quickly. We would certainly say that. But at the moment, we're happy that things have changed. So far so good. We know we're getting the process to fly people home."

Europe's busiest airport Heathrow as well as those right across the UK are back in business tonight. But safely dealing 7 with the backlog 8 built through 6 flightless days presents the next challenge.