UPS, FedEx Resume European Flights

UPS Inc. and FedEx Corp. have begun getting flights through their major European hubs, following the slowdown in air traffic this week due to the volcano in Iceland, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

UPS’ main European air hub is in Cologne, Germany, while FedEx’s is in Paris. A FedEx spokeswoman said operations at its Charles de Gaulle Airport hub in Paris resumed Monday night, the Inquirer reported.

Both companies had been using trucks to replace some air shipments within Europe and using other airports as temporary gateways for airfreight since the volcano erupted last Wednesday, the Inquirer said.

Germany’s main airports were open Wednesday, following days of delays around the continent due to the ash from the volcano that had spread over Europe, German newspaper Deutsche Welle reported on its Web site.

Overall, about 21,000 of Europe’s 28,000 scheduled flights will go ahead Wednesday, while total airline losses, most of it passenger, was about $1.7 billion for the cancelled flights in the past week, the Associated Press reported.