European airlines test skies, press to end ban (no damage found on test flights)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 4/18/10 | Arthur Max - ap

[NormsRevenge]

AMSTERDAM – Major airlines that sent test flights into European air space found no damage Sunday from the volcanic ash that has paralyzed aviation over the continent, raising pressure on governments to ease restrictions that have thrown global travel and commerce into chaos.

Is it safe to fly yet? Airline officials and some pilots say the passengerless test flights show that it is. Meteorologists warn that the skies over Europe remain unstable from an Icelandic volcano that continues to spew ash capable of knocking out jet engines.

European Union officials said air traffic could return to half its normal level on Monday if the dense cloud begins to dissipate. Germany allowed some flights to resume.

Eighty percent of European airspace remained closed for a devastating fourth day on Sunday, with only 4,000 of the normal 20,000-flight schedule in the air, said Brian Flynn, deputy head of operations for Eurocontrol, which supports the air traffic control network across the European Union's 27 states.

"Today it has been, I would say, the worst situation so far," Flynn said.

[NormsRevenge]

Good luck and safe travels to all those stuck all over the place.

[NormsRevenge]

Ashes, smoke, and rocks are thrown skyward as a volcano continues to erupt
near Eyjafjallajokull April 17, 2010. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

[Talisker]

This flying ban had nothing to do with airline safety.

I'll say no more.

But you can draw your own conclusions.

I'll say no more.

[screaminsunshine]

If safe why only half?

[saganite]

I just saw on the Brussels airport website that Belgian airspace will remain closed until at least 8pm local time tomorrow so the Belgians at least aren’t opening up their airspace.

[NormsRevenge]

This aerial view shows the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in southern Iceland billowing smoke and ash during an eruption on April 17. Europe on Sunday ordered a probe into billions of euros potentially lost since an Icelandic volcano erupted, prompting the biggest airspace shutdown since World War II. (AFP/File/Halldor Kolbeins)

[NormsRevenge]

It's not always nice to be in Nice. :-}

An overcast sky is pictured above the surveillance radar at Nice International Airport in southern France April 18, 2010. The airport has cancelled all flights on Sunday except for two flights travelling to Tunis and Marrakech due to a cloud of smoke from an Icelandic volcano. French airports north of a line between Nice and Bordeaux will remain closed until at least Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Sunday. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau (FRANCE - Tags: TRANSPORT DISASTER)

[Atlas Sneezed]

“With the weather we are encountering now — clear blue skies and obviously no dense ash cloud to be seen, in our opinion there is absolutely no reason to worry about resuming flights,” said Verhagen, a pilot of Boeing 737s for KLM. “We are asking the authorities to really have a good look at the situation, because 100 percent safety does not exist.”

[NormsRevenge]

Visible (L) and infrared (R) images of Iceland's Eyjafjallaj…

[little jeremiah]

Okay Mr. Verhagen, what percentage of safety do you give flying in the non-dense ash?

After you, my dear Alphonse!

[Las Vegas Ron]

I wouldn't fly through that crap, pitot tubes can become clogged, that grit is like sand paper in the engingines and all kind of other crap can go wrong.

No way.

[RobRoy]

I wonder if Katla will actually blow. If so, it would make this one look like a dress reherasal. A small one.

Risk of Katla: Could 2nd Icelandic Volcano Eruption Follow?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dk-matai/risk-of-katla-could-a-2nd_b_541755.html

‘Course, it IS just the Huffpo.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I wouldn’t fly through that crap, pitot tubes can become clogged, that grit is like sand paper in the engingines and all kind of other crap can go wrong.

---

The skies are clear and blue. They’re not proposing to fly through an ash cloud, they’re proposing to fly through clear skies. The tests showed no damage occurred.

Flying isn’t 100% safe in the clearest air, which is the guy’s point.

[little jeremiah]

Despite Huffpo, everything I’ve read so far, historically when this one erupts, the bigger one eruptes after a while.

[rovenstinez]

I’d say it’s the same crowd that had us all with the jitters and shivers about Swine Flue....it’s just a brown fog,,,planes can fly throught it. Go for it.

[Deagle]

Wow... I certainly would not be flying in that mess... Of course if they included her on the flight, I might change my mind.

[little jeremiah]

Hmm, I had swine flu. It’s not regular flu, and more people died from it than regular flu season, and many have serious sequelae.

People are very uninformed about swine flu. It hasn’t turned into the killer like 1918 flu, but it’s much worse than regular flu.

Okay, back to the topic at hand. After a bunch of planes fly through the stuff and sustain no damage, I’ll think about flying through the stuff.

[Deagle]

Yep... I’d say let several test flights go with only pilots first. If they prove safe, than all is swell.

Hey, the swine flu was not nearly as bad as the regular flu regarding deaths. It was one of those what if scenarios that did not come true, thank goodness. Maybe even a bit overblown for political reasons - can’t trust them ya know...

[Las Vegas Ron]

The skies are clear and blue

Obviously flying through that is normal but the problem with this ash is once it disperses it looks just like haze or light clouds yet it still has all of the destructive properties. I'd hate to be the one who has to make the call when it's "safe"

The post that I responded to seemed to suggest that there was some other objective or motive other than safety to keep planes from flying.

Just my take on it.

[Wissa]

I wonder what kind of liability waivers the passengers would to have to give the airlines to get a ticket. Without a waiver, the lawsuit payouts in case of a crash would be huge.