GENEVA – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on European governments and air navigation service providers to urgently develop more precise procedures to identify ash-contaminated airspace and allow more flights. Ta. The call comes in the wake of 1,000 flight cancellations on Monday (May 17) as a result of the continuing volcanic eruption in Iceland.
“This problem is not going away anytime soon. The current Europe-wide system for determining airspace closures is not working. Although we welcome the operational improvements made by the Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) in their theoretical model, , essentially relying on one-dimensional information to make decisions about four-dimensional issues, resulting in unnecessary closures of airspace. However, safety is always our top priority. Giovanni, Director and CEO of Iata Mr. Bisignani said:
Bisignani noted several successful exceptions that provide examples to follow. “France has been able to safely open up its airspace by augmenting VAAC data with its operational expertise and determining safe fly zones more precisely. navigation service provider) UK civil aviation has announced another step forward by working with airlines and manufacturers to more precisely define tolerance levels while taking into account special operating procedures, both of which are also other European governments. is an example to follow,” Bisignani said.
Bisignani called for (1) more robust data collection and analysis, (2) changes in decision-making processes, and (3) urgency in addressing the problem.
Data collection and analysis
“The figures show that the current system is flawed. More than 200,000 flights have been operated in European airspace identified by VAAC as having the potential presence of ash. This has been verified by post-flight aircraft and engine inspection, as we have not reported the presence of significant ash. The theory must be supported by the facts gathered by the aircraft to test the ash concentration. France and the UK have shown that this is possible if European civil aviation does not have the resources. We should consider renting test aircraft from national or military sources,” Bisignani said.
Changes in decision-making process
“We have lost confidence in the ability of European governments to make effective and consistent decisions. Using the same data, different countries have reached different conclusions on opening or closing airspace. ” said Bisignani.
“Ultimately, the industry needs an ash cloud decision-making process similar to the one used for all other operational disruptions. Every day, airlines make decisions about whether to fly in a variety of weather conditions. Decide. Airlines collate available information, put safety first and make informed decisions with full access to the latest weather reports. Why is volcanic ash different? ” Bishnani said.
In the United States, which has a lot of experience with volcanic activity, the government has identified no-fly zones with the highest ash concentrations. For all other areas, it is the airline's responsibility to decide whether to fly based on the various data sources available. “The United States has well-established, safe and effective procedures for tracking volcanic ash hazards.In recent years, the industry had no recorded safety incidents from volcanic activity in U.S. airspace. . Europe has a lot to learn,” Bisignani said.
emergency
“Volcanic ash is a new challenge for European aviation. We can understand that systems need to be developed to deal with it. But what is a no-no is for European governments to provide real leadership in the crisis. A huge amount of data from over 200,000 safe flights is ready for analysis to support an urgent review of current processes. The UK is finally moving in the right direction. But what about other affected European governments? The next transport ministers meeting is scheduled for June 24th. What leadership are we waiting for over a month? Businesses in Europe depend on air travel and passengers certainly cannot wait for initiatives like the UK's to be implemented across the continent,” said Bisignani. states.
Bisignani is traveling to Montreal for an urgent meeting with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to improve the industry's long-term ability to address the volcanic ash problem. “IATA and ICAO have been working hard on this issue since the crisis first hit in April. IATA is reviewing ash tolerance thresholds with states, operators, manufacturers and the scientific community. “We strongly support the task force. Manufacturer responsibility is important in providing supporting performance information,” said Bisignani.
Tomorrow, Bisignani will meet ICAO Council President Roberto Kobé González and ICAO Secretary-General Raymond Benjamin. “It is important that we act urgently and globally to better address this crisis and lay a solid foundation for better decision-making in future eruptions. Even if we stumble in our approach, IATA is collaborating with the global community through ICAO and leveraging the experience of leading regulators like the US FAA to foster harmonized solutions,” said Bisignani.
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