Ryanair casts doubt over ash claims
Ryanair has labeled a report by scientists which justified the closure of European airspace followed last year’s volcanic eruption as ‘nonsensical’.
The airline said there was no evidence of any volcanic ash over large swathes of the UK, Spain, France, Germany, Portugal or the Canary Islands following the eruption in April 2010.
It said there was no reason to close north European airspace, except for a 50 mile exclusion zone immediately around the Icelandic volcano
The airline has called on the Icelandic and Danish scientists, who published the report last weekend, to explain how aircraft fly around volcanic eruptions in Alaska and southeast Asia, simply by establishing 30 to 50kms no-fly zones, without any threat to safety.
"There was no justification for the closure of airspace over locations such as the Canary Islands which was more than 3,000 kms removed from the volcanic eruption in Iceland and where there was no evidence of any volcanic ash whatsoever," it said.
The airline claimed the report was designed to "cover the embarrassment’ of bungling scientists and regulators who completely cocked up and mismanaged the closure of much of Europe’s airspace".
By Linsey McNeill
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025