Wired magazine:
Why Volcanic Ash Is So Terrible for Airplanes | Autopia | WIRED
Oxford Economics estimates it [Eyjafjallajökull] cost the aviation industry $2.6 billion.
That’s why easyJet—which itself lost $55 million—collaborated with Airbus and Nicarnica Aviation, a Norwegian company that works on infrared and ultraviolet technologies, to develop a better way to detect airborne ash. In November 2013, they successfully tested the Airborne Volcanic Object Imaging Detector (AVOID), which uses infrared cameras to spot ash up to 62 miles away. That allows pilots to change routes only when ash poses a real threat, staying safe and saving money...