FLIGHT schedules could take another two weeks to return to normal, says a Huddersfield aviation expert.
Robert Mayer, senior lecturer in air transport management at Huddersfield University, said the disruption caused by the Iceland volcano was unprecedented.
He added: “Even if you take 9/11, this is a totally new situation.
“We have never seen anything like this.
“Flights are hopefully returning to normal now, but it will take a couple of weeks to clear the backlog.”
Aviation officials lifted the airspace ban on Tuesday night, saying it was safe for planes to fly.
But with tens of thousands of Britons stranded abroad, airlines are facing a huge task to return flights to normal.
Further delays have been caused by the backlog and planes not being in the right place.
Mr Mayer said criticism of the ban was unfair.
He said: “There has been criticism, especially from the airlines, that the authorities have been too strict but I think at the time it was very difficult to assess how bad the situation was.
“This is the first time that, in a very dense population area, the airspace has been shut down for five or six days.”
He said more research was now needed into the effect of volcanic ash. “We need to know the real impacts of an ash cloud on plane engines,” he said.
