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Ash cloud disruption minimal in Palma
Of the 900 flights cancelled in northern Europe over the last two days just a handful affected Palma. Tuesday saw the closure of air space across Scotland, northern England and Ireland. On Wednesday the cloud moved into air space above northern Europe causing cancellations in a number of airports, mostly involving flights to and from Germany.
Normal service has been resumed today and in the UK the MET office has reviewed its forecast for the weekend, bringing relief for the many millions planning half term getaways.
The Grimsvotn volcano erupted on Saturday. Despite the size of the eruption experts do not expect the level of disruption we saw last year when Eyjafjallalokull blew its top. The material resulting from the latest eruption is in larger grains which are expected to fall out of the atmosphere much faster.
The threat of further volcanic eruptions remains a major concern for the aviation industry with volcanic experts warning that eruptions are becoming more frequent and more powerful. In light of this it seems flight rules are to be overhauled. UK Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is drawing up new procedures to allow planes to amend their flight paths, climbing more gently and only reaching cruising altitude once they clear the ash cloud.
