Chaos in the sky above Europe

The consequences of the volcano ash over Europe have only been aggravated by national air traffic suspensions, writes the daily Der Standard: "In recent days the measures taken by air safety authorities and the politicians in charge of them have been as chaotic as the airports themselves. The blame for this lies above all with the fragmentation of the European air traffic control, which even in normal times results in enormous costs and constant delays. Although all the authorities rely on the same source of information - a single computer simulation from London - every country decides for itself whether it will close its airports and its airspace. ... The states of the EU should take fewer national decisions and more central ones. Eurocontrol [European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation] need greater responsibilities, both for day-to-day business as well as for emergency situations. There is only one sky over Europe, and it can only be regulated collectively."

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