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Empty sky over Germany unprecedented Disruptions in flight operations lasted 137 hours 28/4/2010 – When the air traffic controllers at DFS began to issue clearances to IFR traffic again last Wednesday, the sky over Germany started to fill up more quickly than expected. As early as on Friday, DFS had counted at total of 8,926 aircraft movements. This figure was even higher than the average number of flights controlled by DFS in the month of April, which is normally between 8,000 and 8,500 flights. Flights under instrument flight rules (IFR) were banned throughout Germany on Friday, 16 April 2010, due to the contamination of the airspace caused by the eruption of the volcano called Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland. This was an unprecedented event in the history of the German air navigation services. The flight ban was in place for 137 hours until the airspace was completely re-opened on Wednesday, 21 April 2010. It is estimated that 40,000 flights had to be cancelled, resulting in a loss of income for DFS of approximately €11.5 million. DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH, the German air navigation service provider, is a State-owned company under private law and has 5,600 employees. DFS ensures the safe and punctual flow of air traffic over Germany. Staff coordinate up to 10,000 aircraft movements in German airspace every day, and nearly three million movements every year. This makes Germany the country with the highest traffic volume in Europe. DFS operates control centres in Langen, Bremen, Karlsruhe and Munich. In addition, DFS is represented in the Eurocontrol Centre in Maastricht, the Netherlands, and in the control towers of the 16 international German airports. DFS provides training and consultancy services around the world and develops and sells air traffic management systems, surveillance systems and navigation aids. The company's portfolio also comprises flight-relevant data, aeronautical publications and aeronautical information services. DFS has the following business units: Control Centre, Tower, Aeronautical Solutions and Aeronautical Information Management. 28/04/2010 PRINT

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