IMechE director calls for more testing of ash cloud dispersal

Grimsvötn, Iceland’s most active volcano, began erupting on 21 May with the resulting ash plume causing flight disruption over Iceland, Scotland and northern Germany.

‘More test flights should be taking place,’ said Dr Colin Brown, IMechE’s director of engineering. ‘It’s only by flying up to these areas, measuring the amount of ash in the atmosphere and the way it accumulates in engines that work can be done to prevent disruption to air travel due to volcanic ash in the future.’

Ryanair has conducted its own flight verification but did so as it doubted the location of ash concentrations.

Following a direction from the Irish Aviation Authority, Ryanair cancelled all flights to and from Scottish airports yesterday, and today issued a statement stating it has grounded flights to and from Bremen, Lubeck, Magdeburg and Berlin in Germany.

The airline, which incurred pre-tax costs of €29.7m (£25.9m) as a result of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption in 2010, described today’s airspace closures over Germany as ‘unnecessary’ and maintains that there was no basis for yesterday’s flight cancellations.