Row over ash cloud flights safety

The air transport industry was beset by confusion and arguments today as passengers braced themselves for days of uncertainty caused by Iceland’s latest volcanic ash cloud.

In Britain the Met Office said the fallout from the Grimsvotn volcano had moved over parts of Scotland, prompting a warning to airlines that they had to seek permission to fly to and from the area. Hundreds of flights were cancelled.

But budget airline Ryanair immediately challenged the results. It said it had sent its own plane into Scottish airspace and found no ash in the atmosphere.

“Exactly as we predicted, we encountered absolutely no problems, Ryanair’s chief executive Michael O’Leary said.

“There’s no cloud over Scotland. There’s no dusting of ash on the airframe or the wings. The airspace over Scotland should never have been restricted in the first place.”

The main international body representing carriers, the International Air Transport Association, complained to Britain about the way it had handled the issue, saying it should have had its own planes ready to carry out tests, instead of relying on the weather service.

But other airlines were more willing to follow official advice. Aer Lingus said it had cancelled 20 flights between Ireland and Scotland.

“We take the advice given to us,” said a spokesman. “We have no reason to question the advice being given to us by the aviation authorities at his time. We need to accept what the experts in this area are telling us.”

The European Cockpit Association that represents pilots warned airlines against allowing their planes to venture into areas with even moderate ash concentrations.

The association “cannot accept under any circumstances any flights into the red zone, even if these are approved by airlines,” said secretary general Philip von Schoppenthau.

The Grimsvotn volcano began erupting on Saturday, sending clouds of ash high into the air that have then been carried toward the British Isles on the wind.

Brian Flynn, head of network operations at Eurocontrol said between 200 and 250 flights had already been cancelled today and warned that up 500 flights could be affected.

The eruption has raised fears of a repeat of huge travel disruptions in Europe last year when emissions from another of Iceland’s volcanos, Eyjafjallajokull, stranded millions.

Last year European aviation authorities closed vast swathes of airspace as soon as they detected the presence of even a small amount of volcanic ash in the atmosphere. This year, they are trying a more sophisticated approach.

Aviation authorities will give airlines information detailed information about the location and density of ash clouds. Any airline that wants to fly through the ash cloud can do so, if they can convince their own national aviation regulators it is safe to do so.

Other airlines decided not to take any risks. British Airways suspended all its flights between London and Scotland, while Dutch carrier KLM and budget airline easyJet cancelled flights to and from Scotland and northern England at the same time. Three domestic airlines also announced flight disruptions.

Norwegian airport operator Avinor said the ash cloud that swept over south-western Norway earlier today had now moved away from the coast and no longer affected airports in Stavanger and Karmoey. However, it said the ash was expected to return.

In Brussels, European Union transportation commissioner Siim Kallas said passengers and airlines were facing “a very challenging week.”

“Although we are partly dependent on the weather and the pattern of ash dispersion, we do not at this stage anticipate the widespread airspace closures and the prolonged disruption we saw last year,” he said.

Eurocontrol said the ash was not expected to affect trans-Atlantic flights because it was mostly north of the usual routes and was not reaching above 35,000 feet. Airliners crossing the Atlantic usually cruise at altitudes above 37,000 feet, where the thin air density reduces fuel burn.

Spanish airport authority Aena said two flights to the UK were cancelled today.