BuaNews (Tshwane)
19 June 2011
Pretoria — Tourism stakeholders in the Western Cape will visit the Cape Town International Airport today to assess the impact of an ash cloud over Cape Town airspace.
Members of the tourism and travel industry, led by MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde, are expected to speak to affected passengers, as flights in and out of Cape Town International, Port Elizabeth and East London airports were cancelled.
The ash cloud reportedly originated from a volcano in Chile.
Both South African Airways and British Airways delayed some of their flights on Saturday, said Winde.
“I want to assure travellers that all tourism and travel industry role-players are attending to the situation and putting measures in place that will minimise the impact on travellers and the Western Cape tourism industry. We are monitoring the situation closely,” he added.
Calvyn Gilfellan, Cape Town Routes Unlimited CEO, said travellers would be updated once more information became available.
“All indications are that the cloud will move past very swiftly and air traffic will return to normality,” he said.
Passengers who expect to travel over the next few days are advised to contact their airlines in order to confirm their flight details.
AllAfrica – All the Time
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Cape Town Ash Cloud Closely Monitored