Ash Friday warning amid cloud density row

By Adrian Lowery
Created: 04:33 EDT, 25 May 2011

Families were today facing flight delays from Friday as a row erupted between airlines and the authorities over the threat posed by ash clouds.

Recalcitrant: Michael O'Leary on BBC News yesterday

Forecasts were showing that the Icelandic ash cloud could return by Friday, threatening delays and cancellations at the start of the bank holiday weekend and half term.

But airlines - notably Ryanair - are accusing the flight safety body of causing unnecessary disruption with its 'red zone' warnings of high ash density.

British airports were returning to normal this morning as the skies cleared, after a number of flights from Scottish and Newcastle airports were axed yesterday.

And airlines, including British Airways, have had to cancel some German services today as the ash cloud moved over northern Europe.

Air traffic control company Nats said UK skies would be clear of high levels of ash until at least 7pm today.

But the Met Office is predicting more ash could blow over the UK from Friday: if it is of a certain density, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will issue another 'red zone' warning that could cause delays and cancellations.

But this has riled some airlines, with Ryanair particularly recalcitrant on the issue.

The budget airline's boss Michael O'Leary yesterday threatened to fly planes through the ash over Britain, claiming, 'There's nothing over the skies of Scotland, there is no volcanic ash cloud over Scotland.'

He said his airline had flown a test flight through a red zone in Scotland and found no evidence of volcanic ash. Mr O'Leary castigated the CAA and the Met Office, saying the red zone was 'mythical'.

After a severe warning from the Irish Aviation Authority, which said Ryanair's unmanned verification plane did not fly through the red zone, Ryanair was forced to axe 67 flights to and from Scotland yesterday.

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But BA also sent up a test plane to judge ash levels. Today, Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group - formed from the merger of BA and Iberia - said the test plane flew in a red zone for 45 minutes and had 'found nothing'.

Commenting today, Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said the BA flight had been CAA-authorised and the information gathered would now be studied.

Today, British Airways cancelled one London-Hamburg and two Hamburg-London flights today and budget carrier easyJet also axed some German flights.

EasyJet said Hamburg airport would be closed until 2pm UK time and Berlin's Schonefeld and Tegel airports were also expected to be shut this morning. The budget airline added that more of its flights could be cancelled later.

Ryanair said it had axed all its flights in and out of the German airports of Bremen, Lubeck and Magdeburg until 1pm UK time.

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Hammond said Mr O'Leary's remarks were 'not at all helpful'.

He said: 'Safety of passengers and aircraft is our number one priority and we will not be bullied by Mr O'Leary or anyone else from our safe approach.'

Mr Hammond said the ash cloud was expected to come back to the UK on Friday but it could return at such high altitude that aircraft may be able to fly beneath it.

He added that the returning cloud might have become dispersed enough not to cause any problems.