SAA flights back to normal

Johannesburg - South African Airways (SAA) said on Wednesday that its flights are back on normal running schedule after airlines were granted permission to resume travel last Wednesday following a volcanic eruption in Iceland which sent volcanic ash spewing into European air space.

SAA spokesperson Fani Zulu said the airline had provided extra flights to accommodate stranded SAA passengers who were bound for and from London, Munich and Frankfurt on Wednesday until Saturday. By Sunday, the backlog had been significantly reduced, he said.

"On Wednesday, we provided a Boeing 747, carrying 71 passengers on business class to London. This was in addition to the four normal flights that are provided on any given day," he said. Zulu said that the week-long grounding has cost SAA at least R84m in lost revenue.

Zulu said SAA had been forced to cancel at least 51 flights on three routes - London, Frankfurt and Munich - between April 15 and 20.

The International Air Transport Association has estimated that the Icelandic volcano crisis has cost airlines more than $1.7bn in lost revenue through to Tuesday - six days after the initial eruption. For the three-day period 17-19 April, when disruptions were greatest, lost revenues reached $400m per day.

- I-Net Bridge