The European Union Aviation Safety Agency is monitoring the situation in Iceland with respect to the potential eruption of the Fagradalsfjall volcano. In the event of an eruption and development of an ash cloud, the Agency will work with other aviation actors to assess the impact for aviation and make recommendations accordingly.
Air operations were severely disrupted following the 2010 eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland. The actions taken in the days following that event were subsequently analysed in various aviation groups, leading to a far better understanding of the threat from an ash cloud to aircraft and a better preparedness of the entire aviation sector to assess and mitigate potential risks. The expectation as a result of this “lessons learned” process is that this would lead to a more proportionate reaction in the case of any future similar event, while still ensuring that safety remains paramount, as always in aviation.
The EASA webpage Volcanic Ash gives information on the 2010 eruption and actions subsequently taken. EASA will be updating this page as appropriate in the context of the current situation. Please see also Safety Information Bulletin 2010-17R7, last updated in 2015, which contains relevant general information on this topic.
