To avoid Europe,passengers look for Far East routes to US

Uncertainty in the European airspace has forced many passengers to opt for alternative routes through the Far East to fly to the United States.

Passengers to the US are asking us to book tickets via the Far East. They want to avoid travel via Europe, said Rajendra Rateria,president of the Travel Agents Association of India,western region.

In April,flight cancellations and delays had resulted in many passengers losing out on hotel bookings. Commuters may miss their connecting flights owing to delays, he said.

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On Tuesday,volcanic ash over the middle-Atlantic forced many flights to take deviated routes and caused flight delays,said Air India spokesperson. The Mumbai-bound AI flight from JFK airport in the US and the Amritsar-bound AI flight from Canada arrived late.

Eurocontrol,the European organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation said airports on the Canary Islands,some in south-west Spain and a few in Morocco were shut on Tuesday.

Today morning,high ash concentration affected southern and central Spain,and Portugal including the Canary Islands and Madeira. The areas of high ash concentration on high altitudes in the middle of the North Atlantic are dispersing,easing the difficult situation for trans Atlantic flights, said the statement.

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