Last week, we reported the news about the volcanic eruption in Iceland that canceled hundreds of commercial and private jet charter flights and left tens of thousands of people stranded in Europe. Over the past few days, our air charter agency has been closely monitoring the air charter situation in Europe and will continue to update our clients with news and information.

As of now, we can report that volcanic ash is still present in Europe and causing major flight delays in popular destinations such as London. As we mentioned earlier, volcanic ash poses a significant threat to jet charter aircraft because it can cause engine failure if ingested into an aircraft’s engine.

Today, Eurocontrol, the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, estimated that only 8,000 to 9,000 of total flights will be allowed to operate in European airspace. This means that only 30 percent of all flights will be able to enter or leave the European continent.

According to Eurocontrol, the following countries are not providing air traffic control services to civil aircraft today: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, parts of France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, northern Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Switzerland, parts of Ukraine and the UK.

The good news is that some European countries have reopened their airspace at least partially to private aircraft, forging a pathway from Europe to the United States again. In southern Europe, air traffic controllers have reopened airspaces in most countries including Portugal, Spain, parts of Italy and France, the Balkan area, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.

For commercial or air charter passengers in Europe with immediate travel needs, chartering a private jet through Stratos Jet Charters is the safest and most reliable way to travel. Our expert private flight advisors can arrange ground transportation to Spain or Italy where private aircraft can depart from the country and travel around the volcanic ash.