KLM at NAIA resumes flights to Europe

MANILA, Philippines - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines resumed operations in Manila yesterday morning after European airspace and many airports were cleared of ash clouds caused by a volcanic eruption in Iceland.

KLM said the airline has a backlog of 60 tons of cargo that were grounded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for more than four days after mainland Europe closed its airports.

“Our Boeing 777 had to load some 120 tons of fuel as a precautionary measure, not knowing what would happen once they reached Amsterdam, some tons of cargo were sacrificed for the sake of safety,” said Lourdes Reyes of KLM.

Italian couple Ricardo and Angela Mojolie, with their dog “Pinay” in tow, lined up at the KLM counter.

They arrived in Manila seven months ago and said they love the Philippines and might return in the future.

Meanwhile, international carriers at NAIA reported that they lost millions of pesos when exports such as electronics and garments were not able to reach their destinations due to the closure of European airspace since the eruption of a volcano in Iceland last April 14.

Philippine Airport Ground Services Solution (PAGSS) manager Allan Curabo said that they could not estimate how much the airlines may have incurred in lost revenue when their cargo was temporarily stored at four major bonded warehouses, namely Miascor, PAGSS, Philippine Skylander and Cargo House.   – With Pia Lee-Brago, James Mananghaya