On 19/04/2010, Siim Kallas, Vice-President of the EC in charge of Transport, made a statement on the Air transport and the volcanic ash. He said the EC was trying to coordinate the assessments in terms of safety, as well as, a European solution to find a way forwards on the situation in European skies. The European Commission, with the assistance of Eurocontrol, had been coordinating a series of intensive meetings with national aviation authorities, air traffic control services, the airlines, airports and scientists. In this framework, European transport Ministers met this afternoon via videoconference. Most flights remained grounded in large parts of the continent, as authorities across Europe said there was no end in sight to the plume spewing out of a volcano in Iceland, that they insisted was dangerous to planes. Millions of passengers had plans foiled or delayed because of a ban on air travel that had gradually expanded over large swaths of Europe since Thursday. The aviation industry, already reeling from a punishing economic period, was facing at least $200 million in losses every day, according to the International Air Transport Association.