New rules to lessen ash disruption

NEW measures to tackle flight disruption caused by the volcanic ash cloud have been introduced.

The eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano on April 14 grounded 100,000 flights in six days, costing airlines €1.4 billion in sales, according to latest figures.

Yesterday, airlines ran near-normal services and Met Éireann predicted south-westerly winds will continue to blow the ash away from Irish airspace.

Last week, Aer Lingus boss Christoph Mueller was critical of “theoretical models” being used to predict ash concentration.

Virgin Atlantic boss Richard Branson said the restrictions had been “unforgivable” and authorities dealing with the crisis had made “crass, stupid decisions”.

Yesterday, a new time limited zone was introduced which will allow planes to travel through higher ash densities. To operate in the new zone, airlines must present the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) with a safety case that includes the agreement of their aircraft and engine manufacturers.

The revised safety zones “will reduce flight restrictions, while maintaining safety as the main priority”, the IAA spokesman said.

In joint agreement with the British civil aviation authority, the IAA said it was satisfied the revised zones will reduce the restrictions on Irish airspace.

The reduced area of the new no-fly zone will allow greater flexibility to the airlines in conjunction with their respective manufacturers to safely minimise the impact of the ash on their operations, the IAA said.