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Source: ONE News -
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The first Europe-bound flight to take off out of New Zealand
since Iceland's volcanic eruption has left Auckland International
Airport.
Air New Zealand's NZ2 took off at about 9:40pm on Wednesday, its
departure music to stranded passengers' ears.
It will stop in Los Angeles, before heading off to Heathrow.
On the other side of the world, flights have also resumed in Europe.
However turmoil continues as airlines face the enormous task of
clearing the backlog of hundreds of thousands of passengers.
It's estimated it could be weeks before the backlog of stranded
travellers is cleared.
Scheduled passengers are being given priority on these flights from New Zealand.
Delayed passengers will only being given spare seats and those who want to re-book their flights, it may take about two weeks before they can leave, unless Air NZ can deal with the backlog of flights.
But nothing is set in stone. Flights may be cancelled again if the Icelandic volcano starts spewing more ash into the atmosphere.
At the moment, that does not seem to be case though.
The news that New Zealand's national carrier is resuming Europe-bound flights has created a flurry of excitement among travellers trying to get out of the country.
Many passengers didn't even know they were flying tonight, with some only being informed in the afternoon.
The airline says within 24 hours there will be seven flights to Europe.
The first arrival in Auckland from London will be on Friday
morning.
Air New Zealand has published its
revised schedule
due to Britain's
airspace opening.
The airline says normal scheduled services will recommence from Thursday providing there is no further closure of airspace because of the volcano.
Marie Pilkington from Flight Centre says the phones have been
ringing off the hook since the news broke today of clear
skies.
"We've been inundated with calls from people who are looking to
travel and get going really," she says.
Air New Zealand has already scheduled three extra flights and says it will continuing to look for opportunities to add capacity between London and Auckland.
Ed Sims from Air NZ says their priority is to deal with people who are stranded involuntarily on the first night.
"We then have to make sure that firm bookings are not displaced and thirdly we're trying to work through in chronological order," he says.
Some other airlines which fly out of New Zealand are still holding back on Europe-bound flights.
Cathay Pacific is saying it can not be sure they will get there and Qantas is starting flights from Sydney tomorrow afternoon.
This means there was still a lot of confusion at the Auckland Airport as travellers turning up expecting to fly were turned away.
Cathay Pacific passengers are advised to check the airline before leaving for the airport
Those wanting to re-book face a frustrating waitlist.
"We are looking at not being able to confirm bookings for another two weeks, byt putting on this additional flying we aim to halve that to a week," Sims says.
Air New Zealand has reiterated that conditions in the UK/Europe remain very changeable and services could be delayed or disrupted at any point.
Passengers still have the option of deferring their travel to another Air New Zealand flight of their same departure and arrival points without penalty.
Those who no longer wish to travel can apply for a full refund.
Passengers should continue to check the Air New Zealand website for regular updates, call 0800 737 000 or check with their travel agent.
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