An official statement from Britain's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said, unlike last year, airlines have permission to fly through "medium-density ash clouds.
CAA Chief Executive, Andrew Haines says;
"Our number one priority is to ensure the safety of people
both on-board aircraft and on the ground. We can't rule out disruption,
but the new arrangements that have been put in place since last year's
ash cloud mean the aviation sector is better prepared and will help to
reduce any disruption in the event that volcanic ash affects UK
airspace."
The International Pilot's Federation of Air
Line Pilots' Associations remains less optimistic. Spokesperson, Gideon Ewers told the press;
"It remains our view that when there
is an unknown then it is always better to err on the side of caution."
Meanwhile, Keflavik, Icleand's main airport out of Reykjavik opened today after a 36 hour shutdown, a spokesperson there saying;
"The outlook is good for Keflavik and
other Icelandic airports in the coming 24 hours. We don't have a forecast for after that so we wait and see."
