Action to prevent ash disruption urged
Sunday, 11 May, 2010
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The European Union has been urged by Aer Lingus to “urgently revise” procedures used to predict volcanic ash concentrations.
The call for a more proactive role from the EU in the co-ordination of data in the prediction of the effect of ash clouds came as further closures of airspace are threatened across Ireland and the UK.
Decisions to close airspace on Sunday, which disrupted millions of passengers across Europe, were based on “theoretical” models to predict ash concentration.
These models were subsequently proven to be wrong when ash levels were actually measured, the Irish carrier said.
Recent measurements which took place in France, Germany and Switzerland strongly contradict the VAAC model.
The Irish airline’s chief executive Christoph Mueller said the current model has been proven inaccurate several times and Aer Lingus had lost confidence in its reliability.
“It is now impossible to continue with it and we believe volcanic ash predictions thousands of miles away from the original eruption need to be treated differently,” he said.
“Europe has little or no experience in this area whereas the Federal Aviation Authority in the US has been monitoring airspace around a number of active volcanos for decades.
“We propose that specialised aircraft, including possibly military aircraft, equipped with appropriate measurement devices be deployed around the Atlantic rim as a part of a European initiative in order to respond swiftly and decisively to any approaching ash cloud.
“Similar early warning systems have been in place in the US and the Caribbean for many years to monitor hurricane activity.”
He added: “Ireland has been one of the first points of contact for the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland.
“Given its geographical and strategic position, particularly with regard to transatlantic EU-US air traffic, it is critical that any decisions to close airspace must be based on the appropriate hard data co-ordinated by the EU and specifically, the European Safety Agency (EASA).
“We have no evidence that this has been the case in recent weeks. Only with such a co-ordinated approach and the knowledge that this data is robust and is being consistently applied throughout Europe can local regulatory bodies such as the Irish Aviation Authority take decisions to close airspace.
“We believe that in the context of Ireland’s position, the current continued effect of the ash cloud and mindful of the importance of safety at all times, Ireland must show leadership in forcing the EU to implement appropriate procedures that can enable airlines to continue flying.”
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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