Frankfurt horror for Indian passengers

London: Passengers from Calcutta headed for London yesterday on Air India’s flight 111 via Delhi have had their journey severely disrupted as a consequence of the volcanic ash from Iceland spreading across the skies of northern Europe.
Their flight was diverted to Frankfurt when their aircraft was unable to land at Heathrow after UK air space was closed at noon yesterday.
“At Frankfurt, Indian passengers found they were not allowed to leave the airport to be taken to hotels because they did not have visas for Germany,” a source disclosed.
He added: “I believe this problem was later solved.”
The passengers will have to stay put in Frankfurt until Heathrow starts functioning again but, according to a statement today from Lord Adonis, the British transport minister, “it is likely that significant disruption to most UK air services will continue for at least the next 48 hours – this is an unprecedented situation and the safety of the travelling public is my first priority”.
With Frankfurt now closed, the Indians are now trapped in Germany and cannot return to India, either.
Air India’s flight to Mumbai could not leave Heathrow at 9.45am today because “it’s a turnaround flight and the flight from Mumbai, which should have got in at 7.20am, did not leave India”.
Passengers have been besieging the airline seeking alternative bookings “but there is nothing we can do until we know when the planes can take off again. Some people have been saying there has been an over-reaction by the UK authorities but where safety is concerned, we just cannot take a chance,” the source emphasised.
16/04/10 Amit Roy/he Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Apr 2010, Foreign Apr 2010