Ash cloud not delaying as many flights

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Steve Chiotakis: Weeks after Iceland’s volcano sent plumes of ash and smoke over northern Europe, there are still travel delays in spots. But not near the problem it once was. From London, Marketplace’s Stephen Beard reports.

Stephen Beard: All flights in and out of Ireland were grounded this morning, but the airlines are relieved the rest of Europe was unaffected. Last month, a similar cloud of volcanic ash shut down much of the sky over northern Europe for a week. The travel industry lost an estimated $3 billion.

Now, the authorities followed a different procedure. David Henderson of the Association of European Airlines:

David Henderson: Today there isn’t so much difference in the cloud and where it is, but the closures so far have been much more restrained. It’s certainly more proportionate to the risks in volved, that’s for sure.

The authorities have only banned flights through airspace with the most ash. But the airline industry is nervous about another Icelandic volcano It’s huge and is expected to erupt within the next few years. When it does, Icelanders say, it’ll make the latest eruptions seem like mere fireworks.

In London, this is Stephen Beard for Marketplace.