Vulkansk aske - Deteksjon

Dette systemet, AVOID, er utviklet ved norske NILU.

EasyJet to Fit Some Aircraft With Volcanic-Ash Detectors


EasyJet Plc (EZJ), Europe's second-biggest discount carrier, aims to fit sensors capable of detecting volcanic ash [AVOID (Airborne Volcanic Object Identifier and Detector technology)] on some of its planes by the end of next year.

EasyJet, Airbus SAS and Nicarnica Aviation tested the gear last month in an artificial ash cloud at between 9,000 and 11,000 feet, the Luton, England-based carrier said today. The trial saw one aircraft release dust gathered from Icelandic volcanoes and a second use the new Airborne Volcanic Object Identifier and Detector to identify and avoid the particles.

The system sensed ash from as far as 60 kilometers (37 miles), a distance at which pilots could adjust flightpaths around dangerous clouds, EasyJet said. European airline traffic fell 12 percent in April 2010, exceeding the worst declines of the recession, as ash from Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano grounded 100,000 flights. Carriers lost at least $1.7 billion in the first six days of the event, industry figures show.


The ash cloud created during the test was between 600 feet and 800 feet deep, measured 2.8 kilometers in diameter and was visible to the naked eye before dissipating, the airline said.