Aviation Authority Director instructs airlines to examine plane’s engines for ash buildup every two flights.
By RON FRIEDMANicelandVolcano311(photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Fears that Israel’s air traffic would be shut down by volcanic ash from Iceland proved groundless on Monday afternoon, when the meteorological services determined that the cloud would pass at an altitude that would not effect flight patterns.The ash is expected to pass over Israel at 20,000 feet (6,100 meters), spreading south and east.At the end of an emergency meeting of the heads of the aviation andtransportation authorities, Giora Ram, director of the Israel AviationAuthority, announced that the country’s airspace would remain open.Ram instructed Israeli airlines to examine their plane’s engines forash buildup every two flights. Meteorological model analysis determinedthat if the cloud of ash drifted form Europe to Israel, the density ofash particles would be low enough not to cause any changes to flightplans.The Environmental Protection Ministry announced that the ash posed nohealth risks because of the height of the cloud. The ministry said itwould closely monitor the ash’s movements.
