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An end to volcanic ash disruption?
Friday June 4, 2010 - Email this article to a friend
The airline easyJet has unveiled a new device that detects volcanic ash and allows planes to avoid it. Further tests are being carried out but the airline has hailed it as a major breakthrough.
It works like a type of radar and is fitted onto the aircraft itself.
It allows images of any possible ash cloud to be seen and analysed by the pilots and the flight control centre down on the ground.
If the levels are potentially dangerous then the pilot simply changes course and avoids it.
It reportedly works up to a distance of 100km and at altitude of between 5,000ft and 50,000ft.
The system called, AVOID, (Airborne Volcanic Object Identifier and Detector) has been developed by Dr Fred Prata of the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU).
The concept is very similar to weather radars which are standard on commercial airliners today.
On the ground the information from aircraft with AVOID technology would be used to build an accurate image of the volcanic ash cloud using real time data.
This would open up large areas of airspace that would otherwise be closed during a volcanic eruption, which would benefit passengers by minimising disruption.
Grounded by volcanic ash cloud"This pioneering technology is the silver bullet that will make large-scale ash disruption history," says the chief executive of easyJet, Andy Harrison.
"The ash detector will enable our aircraft to see and avoid the ash cloud, just like airborne weather radars and weather maps make thunderstorms visible."
The Civil Aviation Authority has cautiously welcomed the development.
Commenting on the news the chief executive of the CAA, Andrew Haines, Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority said "It is essential that the aviation community works together to develop solutions to minimise disruption, should ash return. The CAA welcomes the fact that airlines are considering innovations such as this and we will do all we can to facilitate them."
The first test flight is to be carried out by Airbus on behalf of easyJet within two months, using an Airbus 340 test aircraft.
Subject to the results of these tests, easyJet intends to trial the technology on its own aircraft with a view to installing it on enough aircraft to minimise future disruption from ash.
All planes could have the technology
The problems cause by the eruption of Mount Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland have led to a massive re-think within the airline industry.
Easyjet said the volcanic ash disruption has cost it up to £75m.
215,000 of its passengers had their travel plans disrupted because of volcanic ash and 1,600 easyjet flights were cancelled.
Some predict it may have an impact for skiers and snowboarders next winter.
This week the major airlines lobbied the government to receive compensation for the multi-million pound disruption caused when much of European airspace was shut in April.
We reported on the problems it caused the ski industry when it struck at the end of the Easter holidays.
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