Dutch airline KLM flies commercial flights again after disruption for volcanic ash

THE HAGUE, April 18 (Xinhua) -- The Royal Dutch Airline KLM said two commercial flights took off to the Far East on Sunday evening. There were no passengers on board these flights, which both carried cargo and the regular crew complement.

In a statement, KLM said a Boeing 747 full freighter flew to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, and the other flight to Bangkok/Taipei carried out by a Boeing 747 combi. The Dutch aviation authorities granted KLM permission to operate these flights.

Earlier on Sunday, KLM successfully operated nine test flights. None of these flights encountered any problems. KLM CEO Peter Hartman said it is completely safe to operate flights during hours of daylight.

According to the Dutch media Radio Netherlands Worldwide (RNW), "European flights could resume Monday." A report of RNW said, EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas told that Europe's airspace would gradually be re-opened.

Suffering from volcanic ash form Iceland, major European airports closed since Thursday.