Chaos indeed – but it could have been much worse

There is no question volcanic ash in the skies is difficult to handle.

The intense international discussion following the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 has made much progress, but not yet resolved all of the issues. Although it is well understood that the hazard diminishes with time and distance from the source, defining when it could be ‘okay’ to fly through ash and take the consequences is not an easy task.