EasyJet has flown an aircraft through an artificial ash cloud in order to test flying conditions.
The artificial cloud hung over the Bay of Biscay and was between 600ft and 800ft deep and nearly 2 miles in diameter.
AVOID did identify the cloud and was able to measure the density which was confirmed as the range of concentrations found in the 2010 experience.
Scientists warn that a repeat of the 2010 ash cloud could occur. Two of Iceland’s most active volcanoes have not erupted for some time, but scientists believe it is certain that they will at some point.
"Explosive volcanic eruptions in Iceland happen on average once every five years. When winds blow from the north west, the ash is transported towards Europe as it did during the Eyjafjallajokull eruption in 2010,” according to the Institute of Earth Sciences in Iceland.
"It was a coincidence that this did not happen in the seven explosive eruptions that took place between 1970 and 2010. Instead the ash was mostly carried away from Europe by southerly winds.”
When the ash cloud swung towards Europe in 2010, all flying across the continent ceased for nearly a week. Some 10 million people were affected at a cost of around £1 billion.
