A number of northern European airports remain closed today, Monday, due to concerns dust particles from the volcanic eruption in Iceland.

At the time of preparing this update there was an announcement from the British Government that Spain would allow UK-bound flights from Asia and other regions outside Europe to land in Spain with passengers then using ground transport to get to affected European cities. However it is not yet clear when this arrangement will commence.

British air space will remain closed until at least 6pm Monday UK time (4am Australian EST).

Most of Europe remains a virtual no-fly zone Sunday, (Monday Australian time) with 30 countries closing or restricting airspace amid safety fears over the sulfurous dust coming from an Icelandic volcano.

Here is the latest information listed by airline and assembled from the information we have received. Airlines covered are: Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Virgin Atlantic.

AIR NEW ZEALAND:

Air New Zealand is terminating its NZ2 services to Los Angeles and London at Los Angeles and its NZ39 service to Hong Kong and London at Hong Kong.

NZ1 from London to Los Angeles and Auckland due to depart Monday afternoon (UK time) remains on schedule pending further updates from UK authorities.

Air New Zealand continues to strongly advise passengers with travel plans to affected parts of the UK and Europe to NOT commence their travel today. This applies to any Air New Zealand service and any connecting flight on another carrier to affected parts of UK / Europe.

Should passengers still decide to travel and there are disruptions to their plans, costs incurred will be at their expense. In addition, Air New Zealand has been informed there is little to no available accommodation in stop over points like Los Angeles or Hong Kong.

Passengers may defer their travel to another Air New Zealand flight without penalty. Those who no longer wish to travel can apply for a full refund.Customers should continue to check the Air New Zealand website for regular updates, call 0800 737 000 (within New Zealand only) or check with their travel agent.

CATHAY PACIFIC:

Cathay Pacific Airways has cancelled or 'delayed' all flights to and from London, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt and Milan departing on 18, 19 April, those departing in the early hours of 20 April an some flights scheduled for later in the day.

Flights to Rome remain normal at this point "but the operational prospects are uncertain and subject to continuous review," the airline says.

Flights from 15, 16 and 17 April that were delayed have been further delayed. Departure dates/times will advised later when conditions allow.

Customers are advised to use the Arrivals and Departures tool on the right to search for latest flight status.

Customers whose flights are cancelled are advised NOT to go to the airport.

"Due to the uncertainty in flight operations, Cathay Pacific will not be accepting any new bookings for the next few days. Further cancellations cannot be ruled out. Customers can expect to experience delayed travel due to the uncertainty and full booking situation. Cathay Pacific will assist with alternative arrangements for affected passengers, as soon as there is an indication of when we can resume services.

"Customers are strongly advised to either delay or cancel their travel plans to Europe. Customers with onward connections to Europe via Hong Kong will not be accepted for travel from their point of origin.

For further information, customers may call Cathay Pacific's reservation number – (+852) 2747 1888 (for Hong Kong only) which is open from 7am to 11pm or their local reservations office.

Customers are advised to enter their contact details online under "manage my booking" to ensure they receive the latest flight updates.

Online Check-in has been suspended for flights to and from Europe except Rome until further notice.

Cathay Pacific continues to monitor the situation closely and will issue further updates once more information becomes available.


EMIRATES:

Around 30 Emirates aircraft are grounded – equivalent to one fifth of the fleet.

To date, over 80,000 passengers have been impacted by the ongoing disruption.

Currently, Emirates is not accepting passengers for travel to any European destinations - except to Moscow, Athens, Larnaca, Malta and Istanbul - until April 20.

The airline is providing accommodation and three meals per day for some 6000 passengers who were in transit when the disruption began.

Customers affected by the disruption can cancel their booking or change their onward destination without charge. Emirates has waived all re-issue and cancellation fees while the crisis is ongoing.

Emirates advises all passengers to check the status of their flight on www.emirates.com before leaving for the airport. Passengers are asked not to go to the airport if their flight has been cancelled.


ETIHAD:

Etihad Airways has cancelled flights to the UK, Ireland, the Russian Federation, and many European destinations.

Currently, Etihad is only accepting passengers for the Athens, Istanbul Larnaca and Moscow.

Etihad says it expects to recommence services to selected European destinations over the next 24 hours.

Services are expected to be reinstated to a number of destinations tomorrow, with airports announced as they reopen. It is unlikely that there will be any changes on UK and Ireland services for the next 24 -36 hours.

The airline is contacting passengers booked on cancelled flights to these destinations and is requesting that customers await confirmation of their flight rebooking by Etihad representatives.

Passengers are asked not to go to the airport unless they have been contacted by the airline.

Flight status as at Monday:
EY31, Abu Dhabi - Paris 18-Apr Cancelled
EY32, Paris - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY17, Abu Dhabi - London 18-Apr Cancelled
EY18, London - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY19, Abu Dhabi - London 18-Apr Cancelled
EY20, London - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY11, Abu Dhabi - London 18-Apr Cancelled
EY12, London - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY57, Abu Dhabi - Brussels 18-Apr Cancelled
EY58, Brussels - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY15, Abu Dhabi - Manchester 18-Apr Cancelled
EY16, Manchester - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY41, Abu Dhabi - Dublin 18-Apr Cancelled
EY48, Dublin - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY1, Abu Dhabi - Frankfurt 18-Apr Cancelled
EY2, Frankfurt - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY3, Abu Dhabi - Munich 18-Apr Cancelled
EY4, Munich - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY81, Abu Dhabi - Milan 18-Apr Cancelled
EY88, Milan - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY7, Abu Dhabi - Frankfurt 18-Apr Cancelled
EY8, Frankfurt - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY37, Abu Dhabi - Paris 18-Apr Cancelled
EY38, Paris - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY45, Abu Dhabi - Dublin 18-Apr Cancelled
EY42, Dublin - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY461, Melbourne - Abu Dhabi 18-Apr Cancelled

EY31, Abu Dhabi - Paris 19-Apr Cancelled
EY32, Paris - Abu Dhabi 19-Apr Cancelled

EY17, Abu Dhabi - London 19-Apr Cancelled
EY18, London - Abu Dhabi 19-Apr Cancelled

EY37, Abu Dhabi - Paris 19-Apr Cancelled
EY38, Paris - Abu Dhabi 19-Apr Cancelled

EY1, Abu Dhabi - Frankfurt 19-Apr Cancelled
EY2, Frankfurt - Abu Dhabi 19-Apr Cancelled

EY7, Abu Dhabi - Frankfurt 19-Apr Cancelled

EY11, Abu Dhabi - London 19-Apr Cancelled
EY12, London - Abu Dhabi 19-Apr Cancelled

EY15, Abu Dhabi - Manchester 19-Apr Cancelled
EY16, Manchester - Abu Dhabi 19-Apr Cancelled

EY55, Abu Dhabi - Brussels 19-Apr Cancelled
EY56, Brussels - Abu Dhabi 19-Apr Cancelled

EY19, Abu Dhabi - London 19-Apr Cancelled
EY20, London - Abu Dhabi 19-Apr Cancelled

EY3, Abu Dhabi - Munich 19-Apr Cancelled

EY45, Abu Dhabi - Dublin 19-Apr Cancelled
EY42, Dublin - Abu Dhabi 19-Apr Cancelled

Etihad’s guests who are booked and ticketed to travel on a cancelled flight during the affected period can rebook to a new travel date* or cancel their ticket and receive a full refund.

Contact numbers:
• In the UAE - 800 550 55 (toll free)
• In the UK - 0800 917 7521 (toll free)
• Customers in other overseas locations can contact their local office or +971 25 990 900

"Etihad is monitoring the situation very carefully and we will provide further information to our customers when possible."

Etihad has temporarily suspended its web check-in service in order to help it better manage departures in a situation that is changing rapidly.


JAPAN AIRLINES

A total of 47 scheduled JAL flights between Japan and the European cities of London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Milan, Rome and Moscow have been cancelled since April 15, affecting some 11,700 passengers.

Complete resumption of disrupted flight operations cannot yet be determined, and there is possibility of further changes to the status of passenger and freighter flights between Japan and Europe.

JAL has advised passengers to check the following websites for the latest information on flight status and for ticketing and reservation matters respectively: https://www.jal.co.jp/cms/other/en/weather_info_int.html - and - https://www.jal.co.jp/en/other/info2010_0416.html


MALAYSIA AIRLINES:

Malaysia Airlines has cancelled flights to London, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt on 19 April.

Flights to Rome on MH14 will proceed as scheduled tonight at 11.45pm. As airports in Rome are currently still open, Malaysia Airlines is providing stranded customers with the option to change their original destination to fly into Rome instead, subject to seat availability. However, passengers will be responsible for onward travel to their final destination.

Before proceeding to the airport, customers are urged to check the flight status on www.malaysiaairlines.com under the tab ‘Book/Flight Status’. Alternatively, they can call the MAS Call Center 1300-88-3000 (within Malaysia) or 603-7843 3000 (outside Malaysia). 

Customers who have mobile phones are encouraged to register their numbers with Malaysia Airlines for ease of notification via SMS.

Passengers on the affected flights have three3 other options:
* Get a full refund.
* Exchange tickets for future flights.
* Re-book on the next available flight.

This can be done at Malaysia Airlines' ticketing/reservations offices.

Transit passenger can claim for usued portions of travel from Malaysia Airlines ticket offices upon returning to their origin destination. Passengers can make travel date changes by 22 April 2010 and the travel period can be deferred until 31 May 2010. Claim for refunds to be made by 22 April 2010.

The following flights are affected:

From Kuala Lumpur to:

* London (MH4) scheduled to depart 10.05am
* London (MH2) scheduled to depart 11.40pm
* Amsterdam (MH16) scheduled to depart 11.55pm
* Paris (MH20) scheduled to depart 11.35pm
* Frankfurt (MH6) scheduled to depart 11.50pm

To Kuala Lumpur from:

* London (MH3) scheduled to depart 12.00noon
* London (MH1) scheduled to depart 10.00pm
* Amsterdam (MH17) scheduled to depart 12.00noon
* Paris (MH21) scheduled to depart 12.00noon
* Frankfurt (MH5) scheduled to depart 12.30pm

"Malaysia Airlines continues to monitor the European airspace very closely and are in close touch with the authorities in those areas. Once the airports are re-opened, the flight schedules will be reinstated and normalised."

QANTAS UPDATED

Qantas has made further changes to its scheduled services on Wednesday April 21 and Thursday April 22 due to the continued closure of airspace in Europe.
All flights from Asia to Europe will be cancelled as follows:
Wednesday April 21:

• QF5 Singapore to Frankfurt
• QF9 Singapore to London Heathrow
• QF31 Singapore to London Heathrow

Thursday April 22:
• QF1 Bangkok to London Heathrow
• QF29 Hong Kong to London Heathrow

However services between Australia and Asian destinations will operate as scheduled:
• QF1 will operate Sydney to Bangkok
• QF31 will operate Sydney to Singapore
• QF9 will operate Melbourne to Singapore
• QF29 will operate Melbourne to Hong Kong

On Thursday, QF5 Sydney to Singapore will be cancelled, however all passengers will be accommodated on the scheduled return QF31 Sydney to Singapore service.

Qantas will continue to operate scheduled services between Asian destinations and Australia as scheduled:
• QF2 will operate Bangkok to Sydney
• QF30 will operate Hong Kong to Melbourne
• QF6 will operate Singapore to Sydney

QF32 Singapore to Sydney has been cancelled, however all passengers will be accommodated on the scheduled QF6 Singapore to Sydney service.

Qantas inbound services from London Heathrow and Frankfurt will be cancelled as follows:
Wednesday April 21

• QF32 London to Singapore
• QF30 London to Hong Kong
• QF10 London to Singapore
• QF2 London to Bangkok
• QF6 Frankfurt to Singapore

Thursday April 22

• QF32 London Heathrow to Singapore
• QF6 Frankfurt to Singapore

Qantas Group executive government and corporate affairs David Epstein, said over 15,000 Qantas customers had now been impacted by the cancellation of flights into and out of Europe.

“Qantas is urging passengers to reconsider any non-urgent travel to Europe,” Epstein said. “Customers due to travel on cancelled services will be transferred to next available scheduled services or offered a refund. At this time there is no new or additional seat availability on services to Europe until early May."

Qantas says it will be doing everything to meet passenger needs once flights into Europe are able to resume, however access to UK and European airports will be difficult due to the backlog of flights from around the world.

“Qantas is exploring the opportunity to operate supplementary flights to reduce back loads, however these services cannot be applied for until we have confirmation on airspace availability from European authorities,” the airline said in a statement issued Tuesday.

Customers booked on affected flights are advised NOT to proceed to the airport.

Customers in Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok who have revised their travel plans to Europe and wish to return to Australia will be booked on the next available return service at no cost. Qantas will continue to support customers to secure accommodation where they are unable to do so themselves.

Passengers are advised to check Qantas.com for the latest information.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES:

Singapore Airlines has cancelled all flights to London, Munich, Manchester, Amsterdam and Paris since April 16.

Passengers have been advised to check the status of their flights BEFORE proceeding to the airport.

The following flights are affected:

SQ308, Singapore-London, scheduled to depart at 0905hrs (Singapore time)
SQ318, Singapore-London, scheduled to depart at 1245hrs (Singapore time)
SQ317, London-Singapore, scheduled to depart at 1155hrs (London time)
SQ328, Munich-Manchester, scheduled to depart at 0635hrs (Munich time)
SQ327, Manchester-Munich, scheduled to depart at 0920hrs (Manchester time)
SQ323, Amsterdam-Singapore, scheduled to depart at 1130hrs (Amsterdam time)
SQ333, Paris-Singapore, scheduled to depart at 1215hrs (Paris time)

Customers booked on affected flights are advised not to proceed to the airport. Customers who have registered their mobile telephone numbers with us will be notified by SMS text message of alternative flight arrangements.

Customers are advised to visit www.singaporeair.com regularly for updates or call +65 62238888 or +65 67898188.

Singapore Airlines will waive cancellation and change fees for confirmed tickets to and from Europe. The waiver is valid for tickets issued up to and including April 15 for travel up to and including April 22. The same conditions apply for KrisFlyer redemption tickets.

THAI AIRWAYS:

Thai Airways has continued to cancel flights to Europe. Since April 16, Thai has cancelled flights to/from Europe as follows :

TG910 Bangkok – London
TG930 Bangkok – Paris
TG950 Bangkok – Copenhagen
TG954 Bangkok – Oslo
TG960 Bangkok – Stockholm
TG911 London – Bangkok
TG931 Paris – Bangkok
TG951 Copenhagen – Bangkok
TG955 Oslo – Bangkok
TG961 Stockholm – Bangkok
TG920 Bangkok - Frankfurt
TG970 Bangkok - Zurich
TG916 Bangkok - London
TG922 Bangkok - Frankfurt
TG924 Bangkok - Munich
TG921 Frankfurt - Bangkok
TG971 Zurich - Bangkok
TG923 Frankfurt - Bangkok
TG925 Munich - Bangkok

Thai advises passengers traveling to or from Europe to check the status of their flights through its Contact Center at 66-2-356-1111, 24 hours or contact their local Thai sales offices. Thai is also preparing flights to some southern European destinations to help people reach their destination or return home.


VIRGIN ATLANTIC

As a result of the volcanic ash situation UK airspace remains closed until at least 1900GMT today. As a result Virgin Atlantic is unable to operate any flights into or out of Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester airports until further notice.

At present, Virgin Atlantic is able to operate flights from Sydney to Hong Kong. Passengers travelling to Hong Kong as their final destination should go to the airport as normal. Passengers who are booked to London are unable to be accommodated as far as Hong Kong.

For London-bound flights, Virgin Atlantic advises affected passengers to check the Virgin Atlantic website (www.virginatlantic.com.au) for the latest information. If their flight has been cancelled they should contact their travel agent in order to rebook their flights. Any affected customers can rebook their flights for a later date or opt for a refund.

Non-Australian resident passengers flying to London in the next one to two days should call the Virgin Atlantic call centre on 1300 727 340.

As soon as NATS is able to reopen airspace Virgin Atlantic will endeavour to resume its flight schedule as quickly as possible in order to fly passengers to their destination at the earliest opportunity.