Out of the Ashes
The aviation community must be “faster and more flexible” in its responses to limit the disruption of air traffic caused by volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters, says Siim Kallas, the European Commission vice president responsible for transport.
“Most importantly, we need a package of measures to ensure that millions of people and businesses never have to re-live the crisis of the last few weeks,” Kallas said, referring to the widespread grounding of air traffic in Europe in April and May because of clouds of volcanic ash from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokul volcano.
European Union (EU) transport ministers have identified five priorities, including accelerating implementation of the Single European Sky to provide for one regulatory authority with jurisdiction over aviation throughout the continent.
Other priorities call for drafting EU proposals to present to the International Civil Aviation Organization for managing risks from volcanic…
