Britain is to install a network of ash detectors around the country to help avoid the closure of airspace in Europe following volcanic ash disruption.
After the Icelandic volcano eruption in 2010 which grounded hundreds of flights, an international effort was mounted to improve forecasting and understanding of the conditions in which aircraft might still fly.
In 2010, no flights could go if there was any ash in the atmosphere.
Now the Civil Aviation Authority has categorised ash into three bands – low, medium and high. This in turn defines where aircraft can fly.
"If the airline has arranged with us that they can fly in the low and medium bands, then they're free to make their own choices. So we should see much less disruption with the same amount of ash as we saw during the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud," said Jonathan Nicholson of the CAA.
Determining cloud density can now be done by lasers and that data can be used to see if a cloud is safe for a plane to pass through.
UK Aviation Minister Robert Goodwill said: "This new equipment will allow the UK's Met Office to track ash clouds more easily and predict how they might spread more accurately.
Airlines have also been engaged in testing ash detectors. EasyJet hopes to kit out some of their aircraft in future with early warning detectors. British Airways have flown experimental instruments to assess ash concentration.
