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By Steve Hall |
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April 30, 2010 - In response to the unprecedented disruptions to commercial air traffic in Europe caused by the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano on 14 April, ICAO has established an International Volcanic Ash Task Force to drive the development of a global safety risk management framework that will make it possible to routinely determine the safe levels of operation in airspace contaminated by volcanic ash.
The
multidisciplinary team of experts from States and industry facilitated
by ICAO will prepare by 1 August a report on lessons learned from the
crisis and identify guidance material and contingency plans which need
to be updated. Building on the report, a roadmap for establishing globally-harmonized ash concentration thresholds, options for improved detection systems of volcanic ash, as well as recommendations to improve notification and warning systems, will be completed by May 2011. |
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States invited to
join the Task Force are those where the nine Volcanic Ash Advisory
Centres of the International Airways Volcano Watch are located, namely
Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom
and the United States.
The International Airways Volcano Watch system was created in 1987
by ICAO, in coordination with the World Meteorological 0rganization
(WMO), to provide critical information to States, allowing them to
exercise their responsibility as regards the use of their airspace.
(see
IATA On Volcano Eruption Governments Must Base Decisions On Fact Not
Theory)
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