Airlines call for new policy on no-fly zones

THE ASSOCIATION of European Airlines, which represents 36 airlines, yesterday said it had “lost confidence” in procedures used for determining no-fly zones around the volcanic ash cloud.

The association said predictions based upon calculations by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in London were “inappropriate”, insisting closure of airspace could not be based “merely on a forecast of ash presence”.

It called for the establishment of “robust, harmonised and better European crisis management”.

The call echoed concerns voiced by Irish-based airlines in recent days. Aer Lingus and Ryanair have called for the adoption of a US-style model which establishes small no-fly zones around volcanoes.

Irish airports stayed open yesterday following advice from the Irish Aviation Authority. The IAA eased restrictions that were in place over the past few days, saying airports would remain open “until further notice”.

The move came as Iceland’s meteorological office confirmed that winds were carrying the ash east and north, away from European airspace.

While the European air traffic control agency Eurocontrol said it expected normal air traffic to resume across Europe yesterday, areas of high ash concentration at lower altitudes still affected Madeira and the Azores.

Aer Lingus deployed larger aircraft and an extra flight on the Dublin-Malaga route to assist customers who have been affected by cancellations in recent days.

Ryanair said it would operate extra flights between Brussels, Dublin, London and the Canary Islands to clear the backlog.

The IAA will today issue figures outlining the impact the disruption has had on traffic in Irish airspace over recent days.

Some 90 per cent of European transatlantic routes pass through Irish airspace and have been severely curtailed due to the presence of concentrations of ash in the air over the north Atlantic.

As a result, aircraft travelling between Europe and the US were forced to take longer and more expensive routes north of Iceland and as far south as Santiago in Spain.