Plumes and paths: The Eyjafjallajökull eruption and airspace dependencies

Abstract

The Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted in April 2010 disturbing European airspaces for over a week, leaving millions of passengers stranded and costing the airlines 1.8 billion Euros. The eruption generated large quantities of volcanic ash with the potential of damaging an aircraft within minutes, a situation which left the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre in London with no choice but to recommend to national airspace controllers the closure of their airspaces. The eruption revealed how much our modern societies, tourists included, are dependent on aeromobility. The airspace closure demonstrated the adaptability of Europe first and foremost in the face of a dramatically altered situation. However, the airspace closures also generated a wide range of criticism of the methods and thresholds used in assessing the risk level of the ash cloud. This article reviews the problems associated with volcanic ash, offers a brief assessment of Finnish media responses to the chaos, and evaluates the risks of nine different airports in terms of conceivable eruptions.