IATA blasts Europe’s handling of the volcanic ash crisis

IATA called (18-May-2010) on European governments and air navigation services providers to urgently develop more precise procedures to identify ash contaminated air space and allow more flights. The association called for more robust data collection and analysis, a change in the decision making process and urgency in addressing the issues. [more]

IATA: "This problem is not going away any time soon. The current European-wide system to decide on airspace closures is not working. We welcome the operational refinements made by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) in their theoretical model but we are still basically relying on one-dimensional information to make decisions on a four-dimensional problem. The result is the unnecessary closure of airspace. Safety is always our number one priority. But we must make decisions based on facts, not on uncorroborated theoretical models," Giovanni Bisignani, Director General and CEO. Source: IATA, 18-May-2010.