The Govt is considering taking over Safe Air in Blenheim so the air force can finish having its five C-130 Hercules upgraded.

Europe has received a sharp shock of awareness about its addiction to cheap jet travel.

Tourism Auckland has had more than 200 offers from people offering rooms for stranded travellers.

Air NZ is bearing the brunt of financial losses caused by the the Iceland volcano disruption, an expert says.

Stranded travellers are piling into buses, trains and high-priced taxis in a frantic scramble to accomplish an increasingly tricky mission: Escape from Europe.

Air traffic could return to half its normal level in Europe if clouds dissipate overnight, EU officials have said.

Air NZ has started flying passengers home from stopovers if they are unwilling or unable to wait for ash to clear over Europe.

Britain is bracing for what scientists warn could be weeks of disruption from the volcanic dust cloud blanketing Europe.

For most of us, airline food conjures up far-from-appetising images of soggy omelettes, insipid veges and reheated meat.

UK airspace will remain closed until tomorrow morning, a shutdown which is costing the air industry an estimated $282 million a day.

Kiwis travelling to the London Book Fair next week have been scattered and stranded all over the globe with volcanic ash continuing to disrupt flights across Europe.

1500 Air NZ passengers among more than a million affected by airport shutdowns across Europe.

NZ pilots are to be randomly checked to ensure they are telling the truth about any past drug and alcohol convictions.

Russian authorities insist that pilot error was behind the plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

A new agreement gives Air NZ access to parts of the US not previously available with its current airline partners.