Alternate Routing Around Ash Cloud
 

1. What are the issues involved in the carriers and governments setting up new routes from UK/Europe that fly South instead of North?

2. How much will this increase the times, distances, and fuel loads involved?

3. I assume that the main issues really have to do with takeoff and landing vectoring and lack of radar sites and operators to handle all the equipment?

4. How come their isn't some kind of contingency plan for this already?

5. I would assume that with vast amounts of money being lost, the carriers would be all over this, but I don't see much news on the subject. However I just saw that an Air France flight made it from Paris to NYC today and all I heard was that it flew South.

There is a contigency plan for Vulcanic Ash available: ICAO EUR/NAT Volc Ash activities - cont. plans

The only thing one can do is: Avoid Vulcanic Ash, then wait until it is gone!

"All over this"?!? What do you expect them to do about it? ATC has reduced their risk and the risk of all the passengers by prohibiting them from flying in dangerous airspace.

You can avoid the ash cloud enroute, but not on departure or approach. Passengers can go via train to/from Italy or Greece if they "have to" travel.

This is, for once in the industry, a clear case of SAFETY FIRST!

Sorry maybe I wasn't as clear as I could have been. What I meant was that from certain locations where the local air is still OK, can the carriers fly a route to the South?

Now that the cloud has extended even further the issue is kind of moot although the latest MOODIS photo shows much of France still being clear.
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/4...16-labeled.jpg

Does anyone know what route Air France flys when they go South instead of North? They got at least one flight out yesterday doing this.