Opinion n°4 – The eruption of the Eyjafjöll volcano and its consequences on European air traffic

After the eruption of the Eyjafjöll volcano in April 2010, and the huge economic waste that this caused in Europe, the “Applied Science and Technology of Air and Space” section of the Air and Space Academy, at its meeting in June 2010, created a working group involving all sections of the Academy.

Extremely advanced reflections, technical, regulatory and the concrete experience of pilots, brought to the document dated May 16, 2011 a description of what led to this disorder and this mess, taking stock of the situation and finally proposing actions in the very short term, in the short term and in the medium term so that it does not happen again.

It was presented on 25 May to the French Director General of Civil Aviation, who took it on board and used it at the ICAO meeting in September 2011 that dealt with the subject. Many of the decisions taken then and since correspond to the content of this document.