Europe: April 2010 Archives

Hard not to smirk at this audacious bit of Germanwings publicity. Not just for its admirable timing, while the cabin crew are otherwise occupied, but also for the fact that it manages to snipe two of its competitors in the same commercial. One-upmanship with style.

Travel in the UK is being severely disrupted today because of an ash cloud floating over the country which several airports closed.

The cloud is coming from northerly neighbour Iceland where volcano eruptions over the past several weeks have been creating this amazing natural phenonmenon.

For some great shots of the eruption see this story in the UK paper The Daily Telegraph.

For the latest news on how it is affecting airports and airlines see this link to the BBC.

What about an early warning system for volcanic ash?

How about a satellite-based warning system?

How did BA Flight 9 cope when all four of its engines stopped after it flew into a volcanic ash cloud in the 1980s?

UK NATS has issued this statement at 0600 GMT today:

NATS has restricted the number of aircraft flying into UK airspace because of an ash cloud caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Volcanic ash represents a significant safety threat to aircraft. We are monitoring the situation with the Met Office, Eurocontrol and neighbouring countries, and working closely with the airlines to help inform their decisions about their operations. Anyone planning to fly today should check with their airline before going to the airport.