EU transport ministers were to hold a video conference today on the volcanic-ash cloud blowing across Europe, which has left millions of passengers stranded around the globe.

With European air-traffic officials still designating much of the continent a virtual no-fly zone for a fifth straight day today, airlines were urging a rethink of airspace restrictions as test flights showed no problems.

European Union transport ministers were to try to work out how to get around the chaos sparked by the cloud of glass, sand and rock blowing up from Iceland's Eyjafjoell volcano, which experts say could imperil jet engines.

European and international agencies were in urgent talks to try to ease the chaos, said British Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis.

"We want to be able to resume flights as soon as possible, but safety remains my paramount concern," Adonis said.

About 30 countries have closed or restricted their airspace due to passenger-safety fears, catching 6.8 million passengers in a global backlog, according to the international airports council, ACI.

"More than 6.8 million passengers have been affected so far and European airports have lost close to €136 million [$183 million]," said its European head, Olivier Jankovec.

A total of 313 airports had been paralyzed by the restrictions, he said.

Some countries were already working on plans to rescue their stranded nationals.

Britain, which has 150,000 people stranded abroad, according to travel association ABTA, was in talks with Madrid to create a hub in Spain, where airspace has been reopened. It was also looking at ferrying people home using the Royal Navy.

The EU presidency offered a glimmer of hope for passengers, saying half of the flights scheduled for today in Europe could likely go ahead.

Some major European carriers, meanwhile, launched flights to test fears that the ash cloud would destroy jet engines. Air France, British Airways and KLM reported no problems.

"The conditions were perfect and the aircraft encountered no difficulties," a BA spokesman said, though the jumbo jet used was going in for tests and data analysis.
A grouping of the continent's 36 major carriers called on governments for an "immediate reassessment" of the restrictions, saying they were having a "devastating impact" on the industry. They questioned whether the measures taken were proportionate.

"Airlines must be able to fly where it is safe to fly and make decisions accordingly," the Association of European Airlines said.

French Ecology Minister Jean-Louis Borloo, however, said the test flights were not steps toward reopening European airspace.

"We do tests and everything goes back to normal? No. It's not a theory which exists."
Britain extended its flight ban until 1800 GMT today and France ordered most airports shut until Tuesday.

Two of Europe's three biggest airports, London Heathrow and Paris-Charles de Gaulle, therefore remained shut.

But German authorities authorized the other, Frankfurt, plus five other national airports, to resume limited service for several hours on Sunday, depending on the flight's direction.

Around 63,000 flights have been cancelled in Europe since Thursday, the continent's air-traffic coordinating agency Eurocontrol said. Some 20,000 flights were cancelled on Sunday alone, according to a midday count.

"Forecasts are that half of the flights planned [in Europe on Monday] could take place," said Spain's Europe minister, Diego Lopez Garrido.

Air Canada and other airlines cancelled flights out of Newfoundland scheduled for this morning amid concerns ash clouds were heading toward the province.