VOLCANIC ASH: TO FLY OR NOT TO FLY?

摘要

The Institution of MechanicalrnEngineers' latest report has highlighted the need to test-fly aeroplanes through ash clouds caused by volcanic eruptions to avoid a repeat of the chaos that followed the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull earlier this year.rnVolcanic Ash: To Fly or Not to Fly? suggests that the disruption could have been less severe if data had been collected and shared more quickly.rnA group of experts from the Institution compiled the report in response to the problems caused by the volcanic eruption. More than 100,000 flights were grounded in 33 countries and five million pas-rnsengers were stranded around the world. The cost to the European economy was estimated at 1.5-2.5 billion euros.