The two busiest airports in the country –
Services at both gateways are gradually returning to normal after a no-fly zone was imposed between 1am and 7am on Monday, temporarily grounding all flights in the south-east.
The latest closures have been branded a “gross over-reaction” by
His remarks come amid growing concerns that the UK’s system for measuring volcanic ash is overly cautious.
An industry body representing 36 major European carriers said last week that it had “lost confidence” in data supplied by the Met Office and the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in London. The Association of European Airlines said relying solely on forecasts of ash dispersion was imprecise.
“Other regions in the world also deal with volcanic ash eruptions,” it noted. “In the USA a data source is used which is empirically demonstrated to be robust, accurate and actual.”
But the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is standing by the procedures it has in place.
“We are all working flat out to keep flying safe whilst minimising disruption from the volcano,” insisted CAA chief executive Andrew Haines. “We face a massive challenge to do this.
“It’s the CAA’s job to ensure the public is kept safe by ensuring safety decisions are based on scientific and engineering evidence. We will not listen to those who effectively say ‘let’s suck it and see’.”
Today’s flight ban will have hit BA particularly hard as the airline is currently bracing for 20 days of strike action by cabin crew. Analysts say the unexpected airport closures could disrupt efforts by BA to re-position crew and planes ahead of the walkouts, which are due to begin at midnight.
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