EU proposes new rules on avoiding volcanic ash

Daniel Hoeltgen, spokesman for the European aviation safety agency, said that the new solution adopts the US practice of imposing a 190-kilometre no-fly buffer zone for all aircraft in the vicinity of any visible ash plume. This no-fly zone is hundreds of kilometres smaller than the one used now in Europe.

Last month, a large part of European airspace was closed for five days when ash from the Icelandic volcano drifted over northern and western parts of the continent. It forced the cancellation of 100,000 flights, stranded millions of passengers and caused losses of over USD 2 billion to the airlines. Many airlines criticised the European airspace closures as an unnecessary overreaction.

Flying directly through the plume of a volcanic eruption can damage jet engines, block a plane's sensor instruments and cause other damage. But there is scant evidence so far that the abrasive volcanic ash particles can cause damage if they are dispersed by the wind.