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Flights resume to Europe, but city's airport still in chaos
By Zhao Yanrong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-21 07:55
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Flights to Europe from Beijing resumed on Tuesday, with the first - a Ukranian airline Boeing 767 carrying about 270 passengers - leaving for Kiev at 7 am.
Of the 24 flights scheduled to leave Beijing Capital International Airport on Tuesday, only 12 departed for European cities, including Moscow, Vienna, Stockholm and London.
No flights have left Beijing for Europe since Thursday when ash clouds from an erupting Icelandic volcano closed the skies over the continent.
The scene at China's largest airport terminal remains confused, with more than 100 passengers signing a waiting list.
With limited seats and uncertain timetables, many passengers are still being kept in the dark.
"It's chaotic here," said Peter Kraut, 26, from Germany who was on holiday with his wife Sabrina Thuete, 25.
He placed their names on a waiting list early in the morning, but was still worried they would not be able to get a flight.
On Monday, he had signed another waiting list but could not get out.
"Nobody could tell us what to do," Kraut said. "There were no information signs or broadcasts."
Kraut learned through the Internet that Frankfurt airport had been reopened.
"It's hard to get Internet access without a laptop in this terminal," he said. "We had to use our hostel's Internet to check out the latest."
The couple was on holiday in Manila and had been booked to return to Frankfurt with Air China via Beijing on Saturday.
Despite being told about at flight's cancellation while in Hong Kong, they still flew to Beijing, hoping to catch the earliest flight home.
They spent Saturday night at a hotel paid for by Air China, but had to move to a backpacker hostel as the airline would not continue paying their accommodation.
Thuete was waiting to return to school and Kraut had a new project waiting for him at work.
"Air China offered us seats on May 6, but we can't wait that long," Thuete said. The couple has used their time to visit various tourist spots in Beijing, including the Forbidden City, but neither really enjoyed it.
"It's our first time in China. Beijing is a nice city, but after the bad experience in the airport, we don't plan to come back again," Kraut said.
