Ash cloud 2 – Return of the plume
Volcanic ash from the Grimsvotn volcano in Iceland was beginning to cause travel misery as ITIJ went to press. Air passengers in Scotland spent a night on the floor of airports as British Airways, KLM, easyJet and Ryanair all cancelled dozens of flights leaving Scottish and English airspace. At 8 am on 24 May, the UK’s forecaster, the Met Office, said the ash had reached northern Scotland and would spread to Wales, northern England and Northern Ireland by the end of the same day. However, changing wind patterns made it impossible to predict with any real accuracy where the ash would be blown. After the chaos of last year’s ash cloud, this year in the UK the decision about whether or not to fly in ash cloud conditions is down to individual airlines, although they have to apply to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for final approval. The CAA said that procedures this year were ‘totally different’ to those last year, and although at the time of writing no airline had applied to fly in high-density ash, some had applied for, and been given, permission to fly in medium ash. Andrew Haines, spokesman for the CAA, said: “It’s a very fluid situation, partly because of the nature of the volcano, but also because the north of England and Scotland – as we’ve seen – have had very exceptional, windy conditions.” Some travel insurers have already stepped up to make it clear they will offer cover to travellers affected by the ash cloud. Martin Rothwell of Word First Travel Insurance in the UK said his firm will cover claims related to the ash cloud as long as the insurance was bought before 8 am on 22 May, adding: “After that the horse had already bolted and everyone knew about the ash cloud. We can’t offer cover for an event that has already happened.” This is a very clear statement; yet the recent debates about travel insurance cover following the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull last year have had a lasting effect and there remains a difference of opinion about the definition of ash clouds by insurers. One thing is sure: it looks likely that the fog will only be lifted once and for all following the outcome of a test case in the law court.
Volcanic ash from the Grimsvotn volcano in Iceland was beginning to cause travel misery as ITIJ went to press. Air passengers in Scotland spent a night on the floor of airports as British Airways, KLM, easyJet and Ryanair all cancelled dozens of flights leaving Scottish and English airspace. At 8 am on 24 May, the UK’s forecaster, the Met Office, said the ash had reached northern Scotland and would spread to Wales, northern England and Northern Ireland by the end of the same day. However, changing wind patterns made it impossible to predict with any real accuracy where the ash would be blown.
After the chaos of last year’s ash cloud, this year in the UK the decision about whether or not to fly in ash cloud conditions is down to individual airlines, although they have to apply to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for final approval. The CAA said that procedures this year were ‘totally different’ to those last year, and although at the time of writing no airline had applied to fly in high-density ash, some had applied for, and been given, permission to fly in medium ash. Andrew Haines, spokesman for the CAA, said: “It’s a very fluid situation, partly because of the nature of the volcano, but also because the north of England and Scotland – as we’ve seen – have had very exceptional, windy conditions.”
Some travel insurers have already stepped up to make it clear they will offer cover to travellers affected by the ash cloud. Martin Rothwell of Word First Travel Insurance in the UK said his firm will cover claims related to the ash cloud as long as the insurance was bought before 8 am on 22 May, adding: “After that the horse had already bolted and everyone knew about the ash cloud. We can’t offer cover for an event that has already happened.” This is a very clear statement; yet the recent debates about travel insurance cover following the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull last year have had a lasting effect and there remains a difference of opinion about the definition of ash clouds by insurers. One thing is sure: it looks likely that the fog will only be lifted once and for all following the outcome of a test case in the law court.