Volcanic ash looking like it MAY be a problem over UK airspace in the next 48 hours

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Nah, even Ryanair won't do it.

Having an aircraft crash can be enough to ruin an airline. The Lockerbie disaster more or less bankrupted Pan-Am, even though it was the result of a terrorist act. The financial burden of losing a plane and it's passengers is phenomenal.

Anyway, since when did Ryanair need an excuse to cancel flights and shut up shop?

I'm not so sure. O'Leary is sounding pretty bullish in today's Evening Standard:

Ryanair numbers up 26%, and ash cloud is 'no threat' | Business

IMHO it needs a higher authority than the boss of the airline to say when they can and cannot fly. The temptation will always be there to cut safety corners in the pursuit of profit and squeeze that extra flight in. The pilots will be the last line of defence in saying what's safe and what's not.

 

[Southstandfaithful]

Going to Croatia next week so hoping it's all over by then.

 

[Uwinsc]

I'm due to fly to Inverness in a fornight and this happened just before I was due to fly last year! but it did clear up just in time so I'm hoping thats the case this time to

 

[chucky1973]

Taking my caravan to York on Friday but will hopefully be OK.

Palace fan?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I'm not so sure. O'Leary is sounding pretty bullish in today's Evening Standard:

Ryanair numbers up 26%, and ash cloud is 'no threat' | Business

IMHO it needs a higher authority than the boss of the airline to say when they can and cannot fly. The temptation will always be there to cut safety corners in the pursuit of profit and squeeze that extra flight in. The pilots will be the last line of defence in saying what's safe and what's not.

Praise be to Allah! There IS a higher authority stopping that nutter O'Leary taking to the skies....

(from the BBC website this morning)

'BA, KLM, Aer Lingus and Easyjet are among the airlines that have chosen to suspend services in and out of Scotland for the coming hours.

But Ryanair has objected to an order from Irish officials to ground its morning flights to and from Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen on safety grounds.

It said it would be complaining about the "unnecessary cancellations".

A statement on Ryanair's website read: "Ryanair strongly object to this decision and believe that there is no basis for these flight cancellations and will be meeting with the [Irish Aviation Authority] on Tuesday morning to have this restriction on Ryanair flights removed as a matter of urgency."'

 

[Driver8]

Palace fan?

No, I don't live in mine!

 

[Cecil]

Going to Ibiza a week on Wednesday, hopefully it's literally all blown over by then...

Supposed to be going Sunday, we will see !

 

[CHAPPERS]

Supposed to be going Sunday, we will see !

Saturday evening.

Sure it'll be fine.

 

[Danny-Boy]

Palace fan?

Stil looking for players? Is she still keeping her excitement to herself, or is she "Giggsy"-ing you all?

 

[lucky007]

Going to China on Saturday afternoon!!!

 

[Cecil]

Saturday evening.

Sure it'll be fine.

Lets hope so.

 

[Comedy Steve]

Flying to Atlanta Thursday morning from Gatwick. Or maybe not. What do you reckon my chances are?

 

[manilaseagull]

Here is the latest map that we are using, we have already brought in the contingency plans for checking ( swabbing and if needs be boroscoping ) engines after flight..

It is forcast to spread south but its an hour by hour thing...

The high levels are ok ie Transit levels but mid to low (take off and landing) levels are showing traces of particles.


(anyone else think it looks like a giant black dick?)

 

[Razi]

The boss of Ryanair has claimed there was "no volcanic ash material over Scotland" after one of the airline's planes was unaffected after flying through the cloud.

A test flight was sent into the "high ash concentration zone" and travelled from Glasgow Prestwick to Inverness, on to Aberdeen and down to Edinburgh.

An inspection of the aircraft afterwards found "no evidence of volcanic ash on the airframe, wings or engines", the company said in a statement.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary told Sky News it proved there was "no volcanic ash material over Scotland".

It comes as disruption to flights due to the volcano ash cloud spreads beyond Scotland, with delays to transatlantic services and the ash forecast to reach Heathrow later today.

Oh dear. Now for all the customers from other airlines to start demanding to know why we're refusing to fly them from Scotland when Ryanair are quite happy to put aircraft up. Grr.

 

[8ace]

Apparently the massive cloud isn't ash but a massive shit storm brewing over a house in Manchester!

 

[manilaseagull]

Oh dear. Now for all the customers from other airlines to start demanding to know why we're refusing to fly them from Scotland when Ryanair are quite happy to put aircraft up. Grr.

It has since been released by the CAA the RyanAir aircraft DID NOT go through the highest density....


"Chief executive Michael O'Leary said: "We've got written confirmation from the engine and our airframe manufacturers that we're safe to fly even within these red zones.

"And yet yesterday, the combination of bureaucratic incompetence between the Met office, with these nonsensical charts, and the CAA closed the skies over Glasgow."

But a CAA spokesperson said: "The CAA can confirm that at no time did a Ryanair flight enter the notified area of high contamination ash over Scotland this morning."

O'Leary really is a cock...

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Is O'Leary even a fit person to be in charge of an airline? The man's insane.

 

[Napper]

Northerley wind tomorrow i think. Gatwick will be fine

 

[NUFC1892]

Supposed to be going Sunday, we will see !

Was on the radio earlier that some flights from Newcastle have been cancelled because of this. Thankfully in 8 days time it might all be sound.

Out of interest whereabouts are you staying?

 

[Razi]

Though not officially closed, NCL hasn't received any air traffic over the past 30 minutes and flights are diverting elsewhere. Doesn't look to be super-permanent though but currently no fixed timeframes.