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Home Airlines Airports Destinations Fidelity Programs Travel Health Travel Tech Travel Tips Aircraft Air Safety Air Security NEWS News Center Events FLIGHTS Flight Status Flight Schedules Airport Status Airport Guides City Guides AIRGUIDE Subscribe Advertising Marketing Content Info Services About Us Contact Us Site Map	AIR SAFETY European Aviation Shutdown Could Last Until the Week of April 19. A huge ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano turned the skies of northern Europe into a no-fly zone on Thursday, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers. The European air safety organisation said the disruption, the biggest seen in the region, could last another two days and a leading volcano expert said the ash could present intermittent problems to air traffic for 6 months if the eruption continued. Even if the disruption is short lived, the financial impact on airlines could be significant, a consultant said. The International Air Transport Association had said only days ago airlines were slowly coming out of recession. The volcano began erupting on Wednesday for the second time in a month from below the Eyjafjallajokull glacier. It hurled a plume of ash six to 11 kilometres (4 to 7 miles) into the atmosphere, and this spread south east overnight. Volcanic ash contains tiny particles of glass and pulverised rock which can damage engines and airframes and an Icelandic volcanologist said on Thursday the eruption was growing more intense. Why Is Volcanic Ash A Threat To Planes? A cloud of volcanic ash drifting eastward from Iceland has halted flights across northern Europe, causing widespread disruption. What is volcanic ash? Plumes of dust spewed out by volcanoes usually contain tiny particles of glass, pulverised rock and silicates. The result is a cloud of material resembling sandpaper. Why is it a hazard to aviation? The problem is not visibility but the abrasive affect of the ash, which can both strip vital surfaces and clog an engine. Pulverised rock colliding at high speed with a speeding jet can blast away surfaces inside the engine. Due to intense heat in the motor, the particles can fuse together when they penetrate the engine and stop it working. Aircraft avionics and electronics can also be damaged. Aviation authorities say clouds of ash are often accompanied by clouds of gas such as sulphuric acid and hydrochloric acid. How long will the problem last? The answer depends on the weather. Prevailing winds have so far spread the cloud eastwards from Iceland towards British and Scandinavian airspace. Britain's meteorological office says ash may be present over the United Kingdom on Thursday and Friday. What happens when volcanic ash is detected? A 120 nautical mile danger zone is declared around the original plume and flights are banned in contaminated areas as winds move the ash across flight paths. The scale of Thursday's response is "unprecedented," a British spokesman said. On June 24, 1982, the captain of a British Airways Boeing 747 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Perth, Australia, came on the speaker system at around 37,000 feet and calmly told the 247 passengers on board that all four of its engines had failed. In an incident that went down in aviation history, Captain Eric Moody glided the jet down more than 20,000 feet and managed to restart one engine at 13,000 feet followed by others, according to the Flight Safety Foundation. It was only later that investigators found the combination of engine failure, an eerie luminous glow around the plane and acrid smoke inside the cabin had been caused by flying into a cloud of volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Galunggung. The aircraft landed safely on three engines but the incident prompted new flight procedures and international exercises. On December 15, 1989, all four engines failed when a KLM Boeing 747 jumbo flew into a cloud that turned out to be volcanic ash while en route from Amsterdam to Anchorage, Alaska. The engines resumed working and the damaged plane landed safely. That incident was blamed on lack of sufficient information provided to the crew, the Flight Safety Foundation says. How do controllers plan for a Volcanic Ash event? Partly as a result of these incidents, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a United Nations body, maintains detailed contingency plans that were activated on Thursday. The incident came just six weeks after European authorities carried out the first of two 2010 exercises for just such an event, aimed at preventing a catastrophe due to volcanic dust. American Airlines, Boeing US FAA said it has heightened its oversight of American Airlines following three difficult landings in December. In the most serious of those, a 737-800 was destroyed when it overran the runway at Kingston on Dec. 22 and skidded onto a nearby beach. There were no serious injuries in that accident. The agency said AA had two other poor landings last month involving MD-80 wingtips hitting the runway in Charlotte and Austin. It said that in addition to stepping up oversight, it will examine the incidents to determine if there could be a link. AA said it is cooperating with FAA. 1/6/2010 Boeing Two pilots have reportedly each been sentenced to at least five years' imprisonment for the 24 August 2008 crash of a Boeing 737-200 that killed 64 of 90 occupants when it came down while attempting to return to Bishkek shortly after departing for Tehran. Last May, in its final report on the incident, Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee concluded that the crew had failed to follow standard operating procedures. 1/8/2010 Continental Airlines Continental Airlines has suspended operations at its Cleveland hub at Hopkins International Airport through 6 pm today due to a widespread airport power outage. The company is making its best efforts to re-accommodate customers traveling today on alternate flights. Customers scheduled on flights to, from, or through Continental's hub at Cleveland on Sunday, January 10, 2010 are permitted a one-time date or time change to their itinerary without penalty. If a flight has been canceled, a refund in the original form of payment may be requested. Complete details are available at continental.com . 1/10/2010 Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines and subsidiary Northwest Airlines were granted a single operating certificate by US FAA on Dec. 31, an expected move that clears the way for full integration to be completed by late first quarter/early second quarter. 1/5/2010 IATA IATA said that Sunday's US Transportation Security Administration announcement concerning more random screening of US-bound passengers not connected with 14 specific countries considered to be security threats "is a welcome step in the right direction" toward a long-term model that is "globally harmonized, risk-based and [which has] efficient process for passengers." TSA now is requiring all passengers who are citizens of or traveled from/through Iran, Sudan, Syria, Cuba, Afghanistan, Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen to undergo "enhanced screening." The agency said its new regulation also "mandates threat-based and random screening for passengers on US-bound international flights" from all airports. Yesterday, IATA said it "understands the need for government-mandated emergency security measures" following the Dec. 25 attempted bombing of a Northwest Airlines flight but argued that "measures should be revised as information is gathered in the investigation." DG and CEO Giovanni Bisignani called for a government-industry partnership and said that "a smaller percentage of intensive patdowns accompanied by trace detection technology may reduce delays and achieve near-term security requirements as we focus on longer-term technology solutions" focusing on screening and improved intelligence. 1/5/2010 Newark Airport Flights departing Newark Airport's Terminal C have been delayed owing to a security breach, resulting in passengers being re-screened. At 1720 local time an individual was observed walking from the terminal's public area to its restricted area without clearing screening, say United States media reports. Authorities were unable to apprehend the individual, and thousands of screened passengers were moved back to the terminal's public area to undergo re-screening, resulting in flight delays. 1/4/2010 United Airlines With winter weather expected this week in the Midwest and the Southeast, United Airlines is encouraging customers ticketed for travel Jan. 7 to 8 to, from or through certain Midwest airports, or ticketed for travel Jan. 7 to, from or through certain Southeast airports, to consider rebooking their itineraries, as certain change fees have been waived. It is encouraging travelers to go to its website for flight status confirmation and notification, with updates to departure and arrival times sent via email or to a mobile device; to confirm and/or rebook an existing reservation; and for online check-in, which enables customers to print a boarding pass for a departing flight or view options if a booked flight has been canceled due to weather. www.united.com 1/7/2010 ZZ AirGuide 100111 For Swine Flu Recommendations by WHO More Features & Reviews US Releases Long-awaited Air Cargo Security Regulation Bird Flu Risks for Air Travelers Avoiding Serious Consequences from Air Rage Air Safety & Security Aircraft Safety & Security Airline Safety & Security Airport Safety & Security Fatal Events Most Recent Fatal Events U.S. Passenger Issues Fear of Flying Top 10 Tips Top 10 Questions Air Rage Travel Complaints Personal Safety Advice & Tips Airport Security Issues Prohibited Items Baggage Issues Child Safety Other Advice Air Safety Links Air Safety Sites Related Publications Publications AIR SAFETY & SECURITY World Review AIRGUIDE AIRPORTS To Go AIRLINE & AIRCRAFT FLEETS World Review Online COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT World Review	Subscribe
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