Fewer Flight Delays would be greeted with enthusiasm by any air traveler. You may have been a victim of the flights that were grounded this year and last by volcanic ash clouds, but at the very least you will have seen it in the news. How frustrating was that?
There was great news for all travelers recently when it was announced a device will result in** fewer flight delays due to ash clouds**. The device that will allow planes to fly through clouds of volcanic ash and debris could be in operation by next summer. The European low-budget airline easyJet funded Norwegian-based Dr Fred Prata’s research and design of the system, known as AVOID (Airborne Volcanic Object Imaging Detector).
The device which will result in fewer flight delays, allows pilots to detect ash clouds at altitudes of 5,000ft to 50,000ft and is currently being tested by low budget UK airline easyJet. Dr Prata, from the Norwegian Institute for Air Research, said the small orange device contains infrared cameras and satellite data to detect the position and measure the density of ash clouds.
The system has already been successfully tested by easyJet on a micro light aircraft flying above Mount Etna in Sicily and the airline hopes to install the device on its fleet next year. The airline industry has been looking for a solution for** fewer flight delays** and the problems of flight disruption because of volcanic ash. In April 2010, more than 10 million passengers were affected when 100,000 flights were cancelled after the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökul erupted, disruption that cost around $1.7billion.
Were you one of the poor travelers stranded from the volcanic ash? Do you think this new device will result in** fewer flight delays** due to ash clouds? Please share!
Photo credit: Khairul