Dear Swire Travel Corporate Client,
As of April 16, Swire Travel have introduced the following additional measures to take effect immediately with the escalation of the current situation:
1. Majority of the airlines have created on their website with a special section featuring the latest changes to its schedules, which is being continuously monitored by designated Swire Travel personnel to ensure good grasp of the most updated flight situation.
2. On a daily basis, our personnel will run a list of our clients’ booking records booked to or from these affected cities. Once the schedule of a particular flight is discovered as being changed, our travel consultants will contact travellers accordingly.
3. All Swire Travel bookings have been inserted with our clients’ mobile phone contacts, so the airlines concerned will notify our clients by phone or by SMS text message of alternative flight arrangements and to provide updates on other European flights that may be affected as soon as information is available.
In addition, we wish to update you with the current situation. Many airports remain closed on April 20. Some flights have resumed, but large backlogs and service restrictions will disrupt or limit air travel. Severe travel disruptions to and from most European destinations are likely for the next several days.
Flights may be allowed or canceled on short notice, as the cloud's effect on routes depends on a variety of shifting factors, including additional volcano activity in Iceland and changing weather patterns.
Flight prohibitions and airport status as of April 20:
- Austria - Airports likely to reopen 0500 hr April 20
- Belgium - Flights banned until at least 0800 hr April 20
- Denmark - Flights banned until at least 1400 hr April 20
- Finland - Airports closed again and flights banned through at least 1800 hr April 20
- France - Airports will open partially with very limited service 0800 hr April 20
- Germany - Most airports closed till 0200 hr April 20
- Greece - Airports are open; flight cancellations to and from affected areas continue
- Hungary - Airport reopen 1205 hr April 19 with limited service
Italy - Affected airports to reopen 0800 hr April 20. Rome's Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino (FCO) open - Netherlands - Airspace will reopen April 20 with limited flight service.
- Norway - Airspace reopened; service limited
- Portugal - Airports are open, but flights to and from affected countries canceled
- Russia - Airports are open, but flights to and from affected countries have been canceled
- Spain - Barcelona (BCN) and 16 other airports open, but flights to and from affected countries have been canceled
- Sweden - Flights canceled mostly through at least 1800 April 20, except for northern corridor
- Switzerland - Affected Airspace is expected to reopen 0800 hr April 20
- United Kingdom - British airspace closed until at least 0700 April 20
Swire Travel would like to advise our clients to contact their concerned airline for updated information. Book hotel rooms immediately if stranded and do not check out without confirmation of further travel. Please find listed below the weblink of the major flag carriers for your reference:
Cathay Pacific – www.cathaypacific.com
British Airways – www.ba.com
Air France – www.airfrance.com
Lufthansa – www.lufthansa.com
Alitalia – www.alitalia.com
Iberia – www.iberia.com
KLM – www.klm.com
SAS International – www.flysas.com
Virgin Atlantic Airways – www.virgin-atlantic.com
Please rest assure that we at, Swire Travel are committed to provide the best of possible assistance and services at all times to our customers so that all possible frustration from the flight disruption can be minimized.
We hope you find everything in order. Should you require any clarification or require further information regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to call your designated travel consultant.
We would be grateful if you could disseminate the above information to all your colleagues.
Thank you very much for your kind attention and your valued patronage.
