Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull Volcano

[Spongebob]

I can't see how the BA flight over the Isle of Man can wait till about 21.45 or so before heading for LHR ... you would have thought it was getting marginal after been holding for at least an hour ...

No its broken out of its holding pattern and heading for Shannon What an utter waste of fuel !

Edited April 20, 2010 by Spongebob

[pyrotech]

I thought it was safety first, hope BA do not live to regret this.

playing with peoples lives is not on. The flight yesterday proved very little. I am all for opening staged fly zones as conditions change but not due to any company financial pressure, 3 hrs ago they said not till 1am at earliest and nothing has changed since then.

Yes seismic activity looks interesting again, webcam on floodwarn seems to show more ash again too

[Mark Bayley]

Totally disgusted - BA have lost a customer here. NOt impressed with Gordon 'I have an election to win' Brown either as he must have had something to do with it during their 'talks' earlier.

To be fair it does seem kind of odd how planes are flying all over Europe and just across the channel and yet face no problems, still it seems they caved into pressure

[saint]

Totally disgusted - BA have lost a customer here. NOt impressed with Gordon 'I have an election to win' Brown either as he must have had something to do with it during their 'talks' earlier.

I hear that Brown is currently in Wales (Or on his way) Preparing for the debate.

[Serendipity]

I'm sorry but I honestly don't think the CAA would allow the airports to open unless it was safe - the litigation culture we live in prohibits it!

[*Stormforce~beka*]

UK airports set to reopen

All UK airports can reopen from 2200 BST on Tuesday, the Transport Secretary Lord Adonis has said.

Lord Adonis made the statement after consultation with the Civil Aviation Authority and a reassessment of the risk to aircraft from volcanic ash.

Some restrictions will remain in place, but they will be much smaller than those enforced under the current ban.

Lord Adonis said after the ban was lifted it would be up to airlines to bring flight schedules back on track.

Dame Deirdre Hutton of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said there had been detailed consultation with experts to reassess the tolerance of planes to the ash cloud.

Lord Adonis emphasised that safety remained paramount.

He said: "It is essential that we guarantee to the travelling public that the airlines are safe and that planes can safely fly."

[The PIT]

I'm sorry but I honestly don't think the CAA would allow the airports to open unless it was safe - the litigation culture we live in prohibits it!

I think the threat of BA's lawyers out weighed the prospect of a crash as BA would have to pay out for crash not them.

[LadyPakal]

I hear that Brown is currently in Wales (Or on his way) Preparing for the debate.

I'm sure he has a mobile phone and/or a Blackberry.

[PB22]

I am absolutely staggered at what has developed tonight. A total disregard for public safety, I will never fly with British Airways again. I sincerely hope and pray that hundreds of people don't lose their lives because of greed. What happens if this situation occurs again in the future? Just keep flying until a disaster does occur?

[LadyPakal]

The precedent has now been set and the next time the airlines know how to force the issue knowing the CAA/Gov will cave. I am so glad I don't live in West London anymore.

Seismic picking up again: http://www.simnet.is/jonfr500/earthquake/tremoren.htm http://www.simnet.is/jonfr500/earthquake/tremoren.htm

Rumblings under another volcano ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kverkfj%C3%B6ll ) as well: http://en.vedur.is/earthquakes-and-volcanism/earthquakes/vatnajokull/

Edited April 20, 2010 by LadyPakal

[Love Snow]

All UK Airports open from 10pm

[Spongebob]

looks like they have consulted with the engine folks and raised the bar on levels of ash the engines can tolerate, I guess thats the flights over the weekend we saw including BA ... lets hope the folks at Rolls Royce have got the facts right .. .. .. but I agree where does this leave aviation should the ash descend on the UK again I suppose it will be just BAU to fly. :lol:

[joggs]

I am absolutely staggered at what has developed tonight. A total disregard for public safety, I will never fly with British Airways again. I sincerely hope and pray that hundreds of people don't lose their lives because of greed. What happens if this situation occurs again in the future? Just keep flying until a disaster does occur?

Absolutely agree Paul B! Its a crazy world where money rules in their eyes, god forbid imagine if something terrible did happen. It smacks of forcefull bullying n surely they could be face a fine ifhealth n safety get involved:lol:

[Love Snow]

All UK Airports open from 10pm

[kaz]

where is this BA flight going im watching it on radar looping over devon at the mo. was on way to Gatwick. Looks like its heading back down over Cornwall now

kaz x

[Serendipity]

Just circling Kaz, its another hour til it can land x

[coldfingers]

Gatwick aproach is usually from over the channel at Portsmouth so probably heading down that way to line up on the beacons.

Just hearing the first plane for days passing overhead! Sounds like a Turboprop though and is pretty low.

Edited April 20, 2010 by coldfingers

[*Stormforce~beka*]

Wait if he has enough fuel or on route to Shannon?

[Paul Sherman]

Pmsl

So what has happened to this phantom Ash Cloud ??

Where did it go because according to the mathematical models from the Met Office we are supposed to be right under it.

On a personal note I am pleased that I can now pack and get ready for my flight from LHR On Monday and not be tooing and frowing.

AA Only run 3 flights from DFW To LHR and have been told it should have that route back to normal by Thursday at the latest.

BA Long Haul should be sorted by the weekend. Other short haul could take weeks according to Mr Walsh

Paul S

[kaz]

Just circling Kaz, its another hour til it can land x

well i wish it would stop circling over my head hahaha...

can see another BA flight coming across the channel heading for Heathrow.. The sky is going to be full once the word has spread, hope they know what they are doing.

kaz

No your right it is just going round and round over devon and cornwall waiting for the airport to open... Good grief wouldnt it be safer for him to land as soon as possible instead of flying around for another hour.. Like an hour is going to make a difference now.

Edited April 20, 2010 by kaz

[Spongebob]

Well the Vancouver flight was on hold for at least an hour then started heading for Shannon .. then got to Dublin and turned around and now heading for London but needs to waste some time/fuel still ??

[Mark Bayley]

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the UK's independent specialist regulator with oversight of aviation safety, today issues new guidance on the use of airspace. This is issued in conjunction with the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) and covers the Anglo Irish Functional Airspace Block (FAB).

The new guidance allows a phased reintroduction from 2200 tonight of much of the airspace which is currently closed due to the volcanic ash plume over the UK. There will continue to be some 'no fly zones' where concentrations of ash are at levels unsafe for flights to take place, but very much smaller than the present restrictions. Furthermore, the Met Office advise that the 'no fly zones' do not currently cover the UK.

"Making sure that air travellers can fly safely is the CAA's overriding priority.

"The CAA has drawn together many of the world's top aviation engineers and experts to find a way to tackle this immense challenge, unknown in the UK and Europe in living memory. Current international procedures recommend avoiding volcano ash at all times. In this case owing to the magnitude of the ash cloud, its position over Europe and the static weather conditions most of the EU airspace had to close and aircraft could not be physically routed around the problem area as there was no space to do so. We had to ensure, in a situation without precedent, that decisions made were based on a thorough gathering of data and analysis by experts. This evidence based approach helped to validate a new standard that is now being adopted across Europe.

"The major barrier to resuming flight has been understanding tolerance levels of aircraft to ash. Manufacturers have now agreed increased tolerance levels in low ash density areas."

Our way forward is based on international data and evidence from previous volcanic ash incidents, new data collected from test flights and additional analysis from manufacturers over the past few days. It is a conservative model allowing a significant buffer on top of the level the experts feel may pose a risk.

In addition, the CAA's Revised Airspace Guidance requires airlines to:

· conduct their own risk assessment and develop operational procedures to address any remaining risks;

· put in place an intensive maintenance ash damage inspection before and after each flight; and

· report any ash related incidents to a reporting scheme run by the CAA.

The CAA will also continue to monitor the situation with tests both in the air and on the ground.

http://www.caa.co.uk...detail&nid=1862

Edited April 20, 2010 by mark bayley

[joggs]

where is this BA flight going im watching it on radar looping over devon at the mo. was on way to Gatwick. Looks like its heading back down over Cornwall now

kaz x

Kaz what radar you watching? dont suppose you could send a link? no probs if not x

[coldfingers]

well i wish it would stop circling over my head hahaha...

can see another BA flight coming across the channel heading for Heathrow.. The sky is going to be full once the word has spread, hope they know what they are doing.

kaz

Apparently the engines are now stronger than previously thought!

Should we laugh or cry?

Wait and see I suppose. glad I am not flying until June anyway.

Meanwhile Eyafearfull is still doing it's own thing despite some saying it's dying down.

Edited April 20, 2010 by coldfingers

[jello]

BBC report

Airspace around Glasgow Airport reopens hours before an announcement is made about all UK airports reopening.