How the land of fire and ice brought Europe to standstill

Intent on proving that the whole airspace ban was a complete overreaction and was merely an over-cautious miscalculation by the government, many airlines operated test flights, seemingly without any problems.
 
So the question on everyone's lips was how serious was this ash cloud, thousands of miles from its source? This question was only exacerbated with the fact that on Tuesday, April 20, the UK surprisingly decided to open all airspace and many European governments quickly followed suit.

The area around Heathrow Airport, normally deafening due to the number of planes and flights in the skies that come as part of the package of being the busiest airport in the world, was strangely quiet. All around, it felt that something was wrong; the mood was too subdued. Therefore, when the first plane touched down on Tuesday night, natural jubilation could be felt as stranded passengers could finally go home.

However, while affects of the ash cloud were devastating and unprecedented in aviation history, the post-mortem may prove more painful and longer lasting for authorities. The decision to open airspace again was due to a sudden recalculation of guidelines concerning levels of ash tolerance and safety after test flights and analysis with engine manufacturers and experts.

The great question remains as pertinent as ever: Was the ban ever necessary? With huge public safety ramifications, in the short term you would have to say yes. Daunting memories of a BA flight in 1982 that mistakenly flew into an ash cloud shutting down all four engines would have played in the mind of officials. However, six days of transport turmoil was unnecessary and steps were too slow to ease chaos with decision-making by the government laboured at best. Finally, as the crisis deepened, the British government even sent Navy ships to rescue stranded Britons. Although not quite a dramatic Dunkirk-style rescue, the people were getting increasingly desperate to get home, and the government was desperate to be seen as assisting its hapless citizens abroad.

With flights, staff, and people in the wrong destinations at wrong times and with thousands of flight backlogs to clear, normal service will take weeks to resume. For the time being, people and aviation officials can breathe a sigh of relief. However, before we get back to taking the wonders of modern technology for granted, the sigh of relief may well be short-lived.

The last time Eyjafjallajokull erupted in the 1800s, the eruption lasted not weeks or even months, but years! To compound matters and fears, the real concern for many lies in the neighbouring much larger "brother" volcano, Katla. There is always a danger that Eyjafjallajokull could trigger this bigger volcano. Heaven forbid what impact this would bring.

However, in reality and in addition to highlighting how powerless human beings continue to be against the forces of nature, lessons must be learned and applied fast. I for one will forever appreciate modern aviation that allows me to reach my destination in hours!