Ireland airports reopen as Iceland volcano ash dissipates, but more may be on the way
May 6, 2010 - 0:0
Dublin– Europeans are bracing themselves for another blast of travel troubles as Iceland volcano ash clogs up British and Irish airspace once more.
Airports in the Republic of Ireland were closed for eights hours on Tuesday as prevailing winds once more brought ash from an Iceland volcano closer to the European mainland.They are now reopened, but the Nordic nation of Iceland is surely vying for the title of most loathed country in Europe.
First, Iceland's economy collapsed causing financial fallout across the continent and then the tiny country of just 300,000 people paralyzed all of Europe when the Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted, spewing out clouds of volcanic ash that grounded air travel across much of the continent for a full six days.
Ireland-based pilot and aviation expert Kieran O'Connor says the safety measures were a moral and safety responsibility. “It was no disaster where safety was concerned – if one person had died that would have been a disaster. I believe the aviation authorities acted very responsibly,” he says.
Expensive shutdown The six day shutdown in April cost the European airline industry an estimated $1.7 billion, according to a report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), an industry trade group based in Québec, Canada.
(S0urce: Christian since monitor)