Volcano Disrupts Flights; Industry Criticizes Regulators
Airline industry experts say the disruption and financial losses from the latest Icelandic volcano eruption will not be as bad as a similar incident about a year ago.
The latest problem stems from a cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano that is drifting into busy European airspace. Officials are worried that the ash could damage aircraft engines and cause other safety problems, prompting them to cancel hundreds of flights.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says the previous ash-cloud incident in 2010 forced cancellation of 100,000 flights, stranded millions of passengers, cost the industry $1.8 billion, and cost the global economy $5 billion.
IATA complains that different European governments are applying different standards on how thick the airborne ash must be before flights are cancelled. The industry group called for better international coordination.
The global credit rating agency Fitch says governments have made some progress in cooperation over the past year, and that will probably reduce the ultimate economic impact from flight disruptions this time around.
Airline officials say last year, officials did not do enough to check the actual conditions in the air, instead relying too heavily on computer models showing where the ash was supposed to be. IATA said Tuesday it is "astonishing and unacceptable" that a British aircraft that is supposed to check actual conditions has been unable to fly.
The lack of first-hand scientific data prompted budget airline Ryan Air to send one of its own aircraft Tuesday into an area that was supposed to have high concentrations of ash. Ryan Air says its crew saw no ash and an inspection on the ground found no evidence of damage to the plane. Budget airlines were particularly hard-hit by last year's disruptions.
fuente: http://www.voanews.com/
The latest problem stems from a cloud of ash from an Icelandic volcano that is drifting into busy European airspace. Officials are worried that the ash could damage aircraft engines and cause other safety problems, prompting them to cancel hundreds of flights.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says the previous ash-cloud incident in 2010 forced cancellation of 100,000 flights, stranded millions of passengers, cost the industry $1.8 billion, and cost the global economy $5 billion.
IATA complains that different European governments are applying different standards on how thick the airborne ash must be before flights are cancelled. The industry group called for better international coordination.
The global credit rating agency Fitch says governments have made some progress in cooperation over the past year, and that will probably reduce the ultimate economic impact from flight disruptions this time around.
Airline officials say last year, officials did not do enough to check the actual conditions in the air, instead relying too heavily on computer models showing where the ash was supposed to be. IATA said Tuesday it is "astonishing and unacceptable" that a British aircraft that is supposed to check actual conditions has been unable to fly.
The lack of first-hand scientific data prompted budget airline Ryan Air to send one of its own aircraft Tuesday into an area that was supposed to have high concentrations of ash. Ryan Air says its crew saw no ash and an inspection on the ground found no evidence of damage to the plane. Budget airlines were particularly hard-hit by last year's disruptions.
fuente: http://www.voanews.com/
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