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Passengers stranded at airports around Europe due to volcanic ash - Source: Reuters -
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Stranded travellers in New Zealand may be here until as late as the middle of May as airlines face a tough task clearing the backlog from cancelled flights.
Air New Zealand has cancelled flights to Europe until at least Tuesday morning because of the ash billowing billowing from an Iceland volcano.
Airline group general manager Ed Sims says its aircraft will remain grounded due to fears the ash could paralyse plane engines.
Flights worldwide have been halted since Thursday when smoke from the erupting Eyjafjallajokull volcano spread across vast European air space.
See what European airlines and airspace remain closed.
Sims told TVNZ's Breakfast programme that they are following test flights that are being carried out closely. They say so far there are not strong reports of ash but all information needs to be assessed before flights can go ahead.
He says they are looking forward to contributing information where possible as New Zealand has experience in this area due to past volcanic eruptions in New Zealand.
Sims says they are governed by the aviation authority but as soon as they get the word that air space is open they will have planes in the air.
About 600 passengers who boarded flights on Thursday bound for London have been put up in accommodation in Los Angeles and Hong Kong paid for by the airline, Sims says.
He says their first priority is to ensure those people have priority when flights resume.
People who boarded after that day did so against the airline's advice and have had to pay for accommodation and food at their own expense.
Clearing the backlog
Air New Zealand spokesman Mark Street says travellers hoping to leave New Zealand for Europe could have at least two weeks' delay added to waiting time.
Sims says they will try work through the backlog in chronological order.
More than 2000 passengers have been unable to leave the country due to the ash cloud.
Street says some passengers have been rebooked on flights due to leave later this week on spare seats and the company is looking to see if extra flights can be booked.
"But there's a huge number of variables out of our control at the moment, including Heathrow's ability to take extra flights and which air routes may or may not be open at any given time."
Those details will not be known until the air space is reopened, Street says.
Travellers still waiting to get their plans underway are advised to keep in touch with their airlines.
"But at this point in time if you've plans for the UK or Europe, don't start travelling until you've made contact with your airlines."
For passengers who are stranded at stopover points, such as Los Angeles, Air New Zealand is offering to fly them home on their return flight ticket at no extra cost.
The company will then refund the ticket price for the leg from the stopover point to where the passenger would have flown to in Europe, Street says.
Major loss for exporters
Meanwhile, with access to European airports being blocked, exporters are facing major losses, Business New Zealand chief executive Phil O'Reilly says.
"Planes are in the wrong place all around the world now and so are crews," he told Radio New Zealand.
"So air freight into not only the UK and Europe will be affected now, but also airfreight of perishables into, for example, Hong Kong, Beijing, many of the Asian markets and, in fact, markets around the world."
Insurance Council chief executive Chris Ryan expects an influx of claims from businesses.
"The insurance companies are not only covering travellers, but also the cargo that's being transported both in and out of the country on these planes."
However, the volcano has created a boom for at least one industry, Eastern and Global Flower Exporters managing director Greg Keymer told RNZ.
"In the last 24 hours we've had a flurry of activity from the east coast of North America in particular looking for New Zealand orchids because they simply can't get any from Holland."
