Economic disruption caused by airspace closures across northern Europe began hitting pockets of the global economy yesterday, even as dispersal of volcanic ash from Iceland allowed some flights to resume.
Nissan announced it would have to stop production in Japan of its Cube small car, Murano SUV and Rogue cross-over vehicle from today because it lacked supplies of a sensor made in Ireland. BMW and Audi, both of Germany, also said they would have to halt some production lines for similar reasons.
The carmakers' problems are typical of the difficulties being thrown up by the shortage of air freight. The sector carries only tiny quantities of world trade but concentrates on high-value, time-critical parts such as microprocessors that are vital to many manufacturing processes.