Flights Resume after Ash Cloud Tests

A majority of European airlines began sending out flights on Wednesday, finally presenting travelers with a chance to get home. For six days, flights in Europe have been stopped completely as a shifting cloud from an erupting Icelandic volcano disrupted vision and brought dangerous levels of ash into flight routes.

The airline industry has reportedly lost around $1.7 billion due to the ash cloud crisis, but Europe expects to see around 22,500 of their 28,000 daily flights to take off successfully, according to BBC News. Most airlines will be adding more flights in order to get all stranded passengers home quickly.

The somewhat surprising turn of events on Wednesday, as most flights resumed their scheduled travel, has caused a lot of criticism of European experts and governments. The criticisms were instigated by the release of a report explaining tests proving much of the ash cloud acceptable for flight.

An uproar ensued because, if the governments had already done these tests, the flight delays probably would not have lasted as long as they did. The flight delays have affected more than just the airline industry and millions of people are furious at the huge dent it put in their schedules.

It is true that these tests could have ended the delays sooner, but we need to remember that safety should come first, not business. The European Transport Commissioner, in response to criticisms that the delay was unnecessary, completely denied any mistakes and reiterated the fact that human lives were at risk.

It is shocking, yet expected, that the airlines were leading the complaints about delaying flights, particularly British Airways. With such a massive operation and so many human lives in their hands, you would think that major airlines would put their profit goals aside to avoid potential plane crashes.

We might have proven that certain levels of ash are okay for planes, but I would still be nervous flying through a black volcanic cloud. I understand that the world needs to keep turning, but I don’t understand why so many people criticized the safety precautions.

It is going to take more than a few days for things to return to normal; actually, it will take at least a few weeks. The airlines are doing their best to provide every traveler with a flight, but the sheer number of them will surely make that task a long one.