New volcanic ash avoidance rules proposed
The European air safety agency says it is proposing new procedures that would significantly decrease airspace closures due to volcanic ash in the future.
Spokesman Daniel Hoeltgen says the new solution would adopt the U.S. practice of imposing a 190 kilometre no-fly buffer zone for all airliners flying around any visible ash plume.
The change, which still has to be approved, would be a significant departure from previous practices in Europe. Last month, a large part of European airspace was closed when ash from the Icelandic volcano drifted over northern and western parts of the continent. Many critics have criticized the move as an unnecessary overreaction. It forced the cancellation of 100,000 flights and caused direct losses of more than $1.3 billion to the airlines.
