UK Airspace Re-Opening,

[JPRLHR]

Good news for thousands of people, it's just been announced that UK airspace is to gradually re-open from 22.00 Hrs tonight, about 45 minutes time.

 

All thanks to Willy Walsh the CEO of BA who has pushed this hard and helped the authorities to re-think their previous excessive safety limits for flying. Even the new guidelines allowing this re-opening are way above what the experts suggest as a minimum.

[LARGIN]

From CNN Breaking News...

 

British officials: UK airspace to reopen at 10 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) after nearly a week of closure due to ash from a volcano.

[fridaythecat.u.k.]

Great news! And with the wind set to change direction over the next few days, hopefully the re-opening won't just be a temporary thing ;)

[Toto2Kansas]

FANTASTIC news! Let's hope it stays that way for at least a few days so all those stranded can find their way home. :)

[JPRLHR]

The first flight has just landed two minutes ago, the BA84 from Vancouver. UK Plc is open for business again..!! :)

[sirwired]

Good news for thousands of people, it's just been announced that UK airspace is to gradually re-open from 22.00 Hrs tonight, about 45 minutes time.

 

All thanks to Willy Walsh the CEO of BA who has pushed this hard and helped the authorities to re-think their previous excessive safety limits for flying. Even the new guidelines allowing this re-opening are way above what the experts suggest as a minimum.

 

Apparently the "experts" you cite are simply different "experts" from the ones European aviation authorities are talking to.

 

I suspect the airlines would have pled complete and total ignorance of ash expertise if they had gotten their way and something bad happened.

 

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/04/16/340727/pictures-finnish-f-18-engine-check-reveals-effects-of-volcanic.html

 

I really doubt the European officials in charge enjoy shutting down airspace and causing billions of dollars in financial losses, and I doubt it was a step taken lightly.

 

SirWired

[JPRLHR]

Apparently the "experts" you cite are simply different "experts" from the ones European aviation authorities are talking to.

 

I suspect the airlines would have pled complete and total ignorance of ash expertise if they had gotten their way and something bad happened.

 

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/04/16/340727/pictures-finnish-f-18-engine-check-reveals-effects-of-volcanic.html

 

I really doubt the European officials in charge enjoy shutting down airspace and causing billions of dollars in financial losses, and I doubt it was a step taken lightly.

 

SirWired

 

The article you cite is hardly relevant to any decisions made by the authorities here in the UK. There are varying accumulations of dust in different areas of europe. All that's happened tonight is that the authorities have listened to aircraft manufacturers and operators and then accepted that the current accumulation of dust over the UK is not a danger to their equipment. This could of course change in due course.

 

Do you seriously think people at BA, VS, BD etc and the authorities are knowingly and happily turning a blind eye..?? Hardly..!!

 

Why not just try and be happy for the hundreds of thousands of people who now have hope of getting home instead of throwing cynicism on the ruling.

[Dorset Cruiser]

Great news and according to Lord Adonis (in charge of transport for Mr Brown) they will remain open!!! Spent an informative few minutes working out how to get to Palma, Majorca by train and ferry - it would take nearly three days and cost us £300 each:eek: So I am pleased the airports are open again and hopefully our flights to Palma will go ahead on 24th May:D

 

Lets hope the winds switch round and blow the ash back to whence it came.

[sirwired]

The article you cite is hardly relevant to any decisions made by the authorities here in the UK. There are varying accumulations of dust in different areas of europe. All that's happened tonight is that the authorities have listened to aircraft manufacturers and operators and then accepted that the current accumulation of dust over the UK is not a danger to their equipment. This could of course change in due course.

 

Do you seriously think people at BA, VS, BD etc and the authorities are knowingly and happily turning a blind eye..?? Hardly..!!

 

Why not just try and be happy for the hundreds of thousands of people who now have hope of getting home instead of throwing cynicism on the ruling.

 

I don't disagree that the loosened restrictions are just fine, but I DO disagree that the earlier restrictions were "excessive." This is something that has not happened before, and the airspace closures were not out of line, given the novelty of the situation. The governments could not, and should not, have listened to simply the first "expert" that came along saying everything was fine.

 

SirWired

[Globaliser]

I don't disagree that the loosened restrictions are just fine, but I DO disagree that the earlier restrictions were "excessive." This is something that has not happened before, and the airspace closures were not out of line, given the novelty of the situation. The governments could not, and should not, have listened to simply the first "expert" that came along saying everything was fine.

I entirely agree.

 

The plain fact is that very little work has been done on volcanic ash and flight safety. That which has been being done over the last few years has been going slowly. Volcanic eruptions in the past have not been a problem on this scale, except for the times when aircraft have flown into ash and almost crashed. So the previous guidelines were not exactly unreasonable.

 

However, once everyone was confronted with an unprecedented situation caused by a number of factors - this wasn't "just another volcanic eruption" - some hard thinking has been done about these things, and a solution has been achieved. But I don't think that we can regard this as permanent. It'll just mean that the work which is already underway will now get done and finished faster. The general public probably won't, of course, ever find out how much of the current guidance is simply Band-Aid and how much is changed when (if you'll pardon the expression) the dust settles.

 

The irony, of course, is that even without the change of policy, everything would have been open again tonight.