Iceland’s volcanic ash renewed its threat to European air space yesterday, forcing Ireland to shut services temporarily for the first time in 12 days — and reminding European leaders they still must improve their aviation coordination system.
Aviation authorities shut down airports throughout Ireland, Scotland’s Outer Hebrides islands and the Faeroe Islands for several hours after unexpectedly strong and unseasonal winds drove a thick cloud of ash southward the night before.
Services were scheduled to return to normal yesterday afternoon as the ash kept moving south into the open Atlantic at too low an altitude to pose a risk to aircraft.
The shutdowns provided an alarming backdrop for EU transport chiefs meeting in emergency session in Brussels. They are seeking stronger systems to manage the fallout from weeks of ash emissions from Eyjafjallajokul amid fears that the volcano could keep scattering ash across Europe all summer.
The transport ministers want better coordination within the continent’s patchwork of nationally controlled airspaces.
Germany and France demanded binding EU-wide policies on ash levels that would allow planes to fly and determine when airports should be closed and reopened across the bloc.
“We remain at risk [of further shutdowns], particularly towards [today],” Eamonn Brennan, chief executive of the Irish Aviation Authority, said in a telephone interview. “We’re probably facing a summer of uncertainty because of this ash cloud.”
Ireland’s temporary shutdown grounded more than 200 flights, most of them operated by airlines Ryanair and Aer Lingus.
Iceland’s Institute of Earth Sciences said the volcano’s plume has risen this week to nearly 5.5km following several large explosions. It said tremors emanating from the volcano have intensified since Sunday night.
In related news, the European Commission increased the pressure on airlines to reimburse passengers hit by the travel chaos created by the ash cloud.
“Today thousands of consumers affected by flight disruptions are still rightly clamoring for their rights to be respected in practice,” said EU Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli.
“My message to them is: do not hesitate to claim what is yours. If an airline or a tour operator continues to ignore your rights, a European Consumer Center near you can be your next port of call,” Dalli said.
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