Spain closed parts of its airspace yesterday, so did Italy in the north today. Of course the ash got there by passing trough Southern France. Ash concentration charts for 0000Z on 09/05/2010 indicated a thick black area over the whole Cote Azure, yet the airspace remained open.
In a Notam, France reminded pilots and operators to check Sigmets/Notam/Ashtam before flight, but passed the bucket to the pilots/operators to decide whether or not it's safe to fly. Spain and Italy determined that it would not be safe under the circumstances.
Do you think it's justified to leave the decision to fly with pilots and operators?
Latest ash concentration charts by VAAC London can be found here:
Met Office: Icelandic volcano - Zoom air ash concentration charts