Iceland Volcano: $1.7 Billion Losses over Aviation Safety?

Last year, the Iceland volcanic eruption cost airlines US$1.7 billion, with more than 10 million people affected by the 6-day European airspace shut down. When the Grimsvon volcan erupted again on 21 May spouting more ash clouds into the skies, 500 flights were halted. And while the ash plume continues to affect some air travel, its mostly business as usual in Europe.

Are authorities taking enough precautions or is avoiding another mass shut down more important than aviation safety?

Last year, the Iceland volcanic eruption cost airlines US$1.7 billion, with more than 10 million people affected by the 6-day European airspace shut down. When the Grimsvon volcan erupted again on 21 May spouting more ash clouds into the skies, 500 flights were halted. And while the ash plume continues to affect some air travel, its mostly business as usual in Europe.

Are authorities taking enough precautions or is avoiding another mass shut down more important than aviation safety?

The Star reports:

 

[quote]”The potential for a patchwork of inconsistent state decisions on airspace management still exists,” IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani said in a statement.

British airport operator BAA, majority owned by Spanish infrastructure group Ferrovial, warned some flights would continue to be affected.

But it said flights were expected to resume at Glasgow Airport Wednesday morning, and it expected a “fuller programme” of services at Edinburgh.

In Scandinvia, traffic was mostly normal after some distruptions on Tuesday.

Norwegian airport operator Avinor said commercial air traffic would operate normally on Wednesday, including helicopter flights to offshore oil and gas platforms.

Sweden’s Swedavia said a number of flights had been cancelled from Gotheburg’s Landvetter Airport.

However, Scandinavian Airline SAS, said it had not cancelled any flights in Sweden, though one flight to and from Hamburg from Copenhagen would not depart.

“We expect normal traffic today,” SAS spokeswoman Malin Selander said.

She said the airline had received permission from the Swedish Transport to fly in so-called ash ‘grey zones’, but had not yet done so.

Domestic flights in Finland were operating normally, though two flights to and from northern Germany have been cancelled.

Dutch airline KLM said it would cancel 19 flights on Wednesday to and from Britain, Norway, Sweden and Germany. It expected to operate all other flights as scheduled.

Budget airline Ryanair said it had safely sent two planes into what authorities had deemed high ash zones over Scotland, and criticised “bureaucratic incompetence”.

Eurocontrol said the around 500 flights cancelled on Tuesday were out of around 29,000 expected that day.[/quote]