AMSTERDAM, April 17 (Reuters) - Test flights are taking place in the Netherlands and other European countries to assess the impact of volcanic ash on plane parts, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management said on Saturday.
KLM, part of Franco-Dutch Air France-KLM, will perform a test flight to Amsterdam from Duesseldorf on Saturday night as part of a series of tests across the European Union, ministry officials said.
Tests had already taken place in France and Belgium on Saturday, a Dutch ministry spokeswoman said. She said the flights were taking place at lower altitude than usual but did not know the exact altitude. No passengers would be on board.
'We want to see what the damage could be to the engines,' a a second ministry spokeswoman said.
Volcanic ash spreading from Iceland has led to massive air travel disruptions across Europe in recent days and problems worsened on Saturday as the cloud of ash spread southeast across the continent.
European aviation agency Eurocontrol said no landings or takeoffs were possible for civilian aircraft in most of northern and central Europe because of the ash spewed out by an Icelandic volcano, which was still erupting.
In a bid to alleviate the travel disruptions, test flights were being conducted at the request of the EU, the second Dutch ministry spokeswoman said.
The Dutch ministry said specific safety conditions for the flights had been set, adding that the KLM flight was taking place under 'controlled circumstances'.
(Reporting by Gilbert Kreijger; Editing by Dominic Evans) Keywords: EUROPE AIR/TESTS (gilbert.kreijger@thomsonreuters.com; +31 20 5045007; Reuters Messaging: gilbert.kreijger.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
KLM, part of Franco-Dutch Air France-KLM, will perform a test flight to Amsterdam from Duesseldorf on Saturday night as part of a series of tests across the European Union, ministry officials said.
Tests had already taken place in France and Belgium on Saturday, a Dutch ministry spokeswoman said. She said the flights were taking place at lower altitude than usual but did not know the exact altitude. No passengers would be on board.
'We want to see what the damage could be to the engines,' a a second ministry spokeswoman said.
Volcanic ash spreading from Iceland has led to massive air travel disruptions across Europe in recent days and problems worsened on Saturday as the cloud of ash spread southeast across the continent.
European aviation agency Eurocontrol said no landings or takeoffs were possible for civilian aircraft in most of northern and central Europe because of the ash spewed out by an Icelandic volcano, which was still erupting.
In a bid to alleviate the travel disruptions, test flights were being conducted at the request of the EU, the second Dutch ministry spokeswoman said.
The Dutch ministry said specific safety conditions for the flights had been set, adding that the KLM flight was taking place under 'controlled circumstances'.
(Reporting by Gilbert Kreijger; Editing by Dominic Evans) Keywords: EUROPE AIR/TESTS (gilbert.kreijger@thomsonreuters.com; +31 20 5045007; Reuters Messaging: gilbert.kreijger.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.