By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Asiana Airlines partially resumed flights to Europe late Tuesday for the first time in five days after airplanes were grounded by the ash cloud from the continuous eruption of the Icelandic volcano.
Also, a Lufthansa flight carrying 221 passengers took off for Munich from Incheon International Airport at 1:16 p.m., according to airport authorities.
A cargo plane from Asiana departed for Vienna at 10:15 p.m. Asiana said it will also reopen routes linking Incheon to Frankfurt and Paris today.
Korean Air, the country’s largest airline, has yet to announce the resumption of its Europe-bound services.
``We have yet to decide when to resume services,’’ a spokesman said.
More than 150 flights from Incheon to Europe have been canceled since Friday, according to airline companies.
South Korea's state-run weather agency said ash from the volcano will reach the Korean Peninsula this weekend and pass through southern parts of the country earlier next week, noting it will have little impact on weather or localized flight services here.
The weather service had earlier said the ash may arrive Tuesday, but changed its forecast because of atmospheric changes in the upper atmosphere.